Caffeine & Low Birth Weight Babies

These studies begin to point the way to the more permanent damage that coffee drinking can inflict on the unborn. The use of caffeine during pregnancy has been widely studied. There is much evidence to suggest that caffeine is associated with low-birth weight and related problems.

For example, one recent (1997) study of about 1,000 women in Yugoslavia showed that, among nonsmoking mothers, a "significant reduction" in birth weight was observed in babies whose mothers drank just 71 mg of caffeine a day ? less than one cup. Low birth weight is generally considered to be newborn babies weighing less than five pounds.

WHY WOMEN SHOULD AVOID COFFEE

Interestingly, the average caffeine intake of these subjects was 133 mg per day, or nearly double that at which low-birth weight incidences begin to appear. Part of the problem caused by mothers who use caffeine is the way the female body clears caffeine during pregnancy.

Studies have shown that during their first trimester of pregnancy, coffee-drinking women clear caffeine from their bodies in the same way that nonpregnant women do. But after that, the half-life of caffeine (the time it takes to eliminate half of the ingested caffeine from the body) almost doubles ? from 2.5 hours to 4.5 hours. Therefore, since caffeine remains in the body for a longer period of time, it courses through the veins of the fetus for longer periods of time.

It's not unusual, then, for studies to consistently report that there is a significant increased risk of miscarriage and low-birth weight when pregnant mothers drink coffee. And the increased risk starts at extremely low amounts ? with just one or two cups a day. And why is all this talk about low-birth weight important? Lower birth weight is linked to increased risk of dying in early infancy.

Marina Kushner is the founder of the Caffeine Awareness Alliance, the first non-profit organization dedicated solely to educating consumers about the dangers of caffeine intoxication. She is a reformed coffee drinker, leading investigative journalist and speaker. She is president of Soy Coffee, LLC, makers of the popular caffeine-free coffee substitute "Soyfee", which is made from soybeans. Certified organic, its brewed just like coffee and comes in 8 delicious flavors like hazelnut, mocha, french vanilla & house blend. Its available at select health food stores or online at http://www.soycoffee.com.

Some coffee fans get grim delight in Starbucks woes
Reuters - 11 hours ago
By Ellen Wulfhorst NEW YORK (Reuters) - One coffee drinker's bad news is another coffee drinker's good news, it seems. Financial woes at Starbucks Corp., ...

Wilkes Barre Times-Leader
Waking up and smelling the coffee? RICHARD L. CONNOR OPINION
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA - 17 hours ago
One day they love a clothing line or a style of automobile or even a brand of coffee and the next they switch to something else. ...

The troubled company wakes up and smells the coffee
Economist, UK - Jul 3, 2008
As a result, baristas at Starbucks coffee shops around America are starting to get a taste of what it feels like to be a carworker in Detroit. ...

A bitter-tasting jolt for Starbucks
Boston Globe, United States - Jul 4, 2008
This week the Seattle-based coffee kahuna announced it is closing 600 of its 6800 US stores and laying off more than 12000 employees, or "partners" in the ...

Coffee shop owners upbeat despite economic slowdown
Sunday Business Post, Ireland - Jul 5, 2008
Coffee shop owners do not expect the economic slowdown to affect their business, despite slowing consumer spending. Emmet Daly, owner of the Cafe Sol chain ...

ABC News
Retail Changes Key To Starbucks Closings
NPR - Jul 5, 2008
The coffee chain announced this week that it's closing about 600 stores, but it's not the only chain slimming down to meet hard economic times. ...
Getting the jitters Crosscut
Starbucks pulls plug on 600 US coffee shops MarketWatch
all 1,366 news articles

KNCU pushes for improved coffee
DailyNewsOnline, United Republic of Tanzania - 3 hours ago
He also said that KNCU's farmers do not apply chemicals to coffee farms in order to sustain environmentally friendly agriculture and that the Union has ...

Forget instant coffee: Here comes instant love
Standard, Kenya - 5 hours ago
The age of instant coffee, instant dating and instant love is here with us. Ivy has lived in Malindi for almost all her life. She is 23 and says she is half ...

Oregon coffee stand man missing 3 months
KTVZ, OR - 23 hours ago
The owner of a coffee stand near Roseburg has not been seen since. The weekend receipts from his Gotta Hava Java business were gone and the truck was not on ...
Oregon coffee stand man missing 3 months The Oregonian - OregonLive.com
all 4 news articles

Import-duty cut on beans may benefit coffee consumers
Economic Times, India - Jul 5, 2008
BANGALORE: With domestic coffee brands increasing prices by as much as 20% over the last 12 months and with further hikes anticipated in the wake of a ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Coffee Breaks - Do They Create Stress?