Women might as well face it: When pregnant, we're mostly vessels for the unborn. It seems that everything expectant moms do directly impacts our wee ones' futures. Now there's another scary report that reinforces caffeine's place on the hit list of intakes to be avoided during pregnancy.
According to this new study, published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control, women who had a daily dose of caffeine during pregnancy, were more likely to see their babies develop childhood acute leukemia.
Researchers culled data from the French ESCALE study, which was conducted from 2003 to 2004. There were 764 patients and 1,681 controls included in the analysis. Mothers were interviewed regarding their caffeine intake during pregnancy. Investigators observed a link between regular coffee consumption during pregnancy and childhood acute leukemia. An increase in leukemia risk was seen for mothers who drank coffee daily. Compared with women who drank no coffee or less than one cup per week. They also found an association between leukemia and cola soda consumption.
"This study provides additional evidence that maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy may be associated with childhood AL. Coffee consumption is a prevalent habit and its potential involvement in childhood AL needs to be considered further," the researchers wrote.
Cutting down on caffeine during pregnancy may seem an overwhelming achievement, but there are useful techniques. There are lots of fabulous herbal and decaffeinated drinks you can imbibe without guilt. But you might want to check up to make sure there's no caffeine hiding out. And if it's the energy jolt you miss, it's advised that you eat smaller, more frequent meals and snacks that will keep your energy up by keeping your blood sugar from dipping.
Did you give up caffeine during your pregnancies? How hard was it? Have any tips to share?
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