Be Informed About Your Caffeine Intake When Pregnant (or on the Pill)
Most pregnant women take great care to eat well and be moderate in any ‘treats’ they may allow themselves during this special time. It is well-known that whatever the mother consumes (whether by eating, drinking or inhaling), the foetus will also consume and it is for this reason that most pregnant women choose to stop smoking and drinking, and cut down on their intake of other substances like caffeine.
However, it would seem that such efforts may be being thwarted by an irregularity in the amount of caffeine contained in coffee served in different cafés and coffee shops. This irregularity could be posing a health risk to pregnant women and their foetuses and scientists have called for information to be made freely available about the levels of caffeine being served.
Research published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal ‘Food and Function’ examined coffee from 20 coffee shops in Glasgow. The difference in caffeine content varied so much that one cup contained six times as much caffeine as another. The research, carried out by the University of Glasgow, suggested that drinking just one cup of espresso (which contained higher levels of caffeine in one coffee shop than another) could create caffeine toxicity in pregnant women, women taking oral contraceptives, children and people suffering from liver disease.
The advice from the Government’s Food Standards Agency currently recommends that pregnant women consume no more than 200mg of caffeine per day. Four of the 20 samples examined by the researchers contained more than 200mg in a single shot of espresso. In a Starbucks, the espresso contained 51mg of caffeine; in a coffee shop called Pattiserie Francoise their espresso contained 322mg. The shots of espresso are also used in preparing milky drinks like cappuccino.
The differences can be caused by the type of coffee used and/or by the way in which it is prepared. Lead researcher Professor Alan Crozier said, “The variations in the amount of caffeine reflect differences in the batch-to-batch bean composition, roasting procedures, grinding conditions and the many variables in the coffee-making process such as water temperature and the ratio of water to coffee.”
At the moment, there is no way for consumers to know how much caffeine is contained in their drinks served in coffee shops. Labels on caffeine-containing soft drinks like cola normally provide information about how much caffeine is contained though.
Caffeine is cleared by the body normally in about five hours, but it can take far longer for women on oral contraceptives, people with liver disease, and pregnant women to process the caffeine and clear it from their systems (up to 30 hours), and this is what makes them more prone to caffeine toxicity.
Professor Crozier added, “The data we have gathered suggests there is a real need for a definitive study of caffeine content and consumption of coffees, and for customers to be given the information they need to make an informed choice about their intake.”