Jan 28 2009
Could Caffeine During Pregnancy and Leukemia Be Linked?
Leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer, is still a mystery to doctors. The cause has not yet been determined, though it affects nearly 35% of children each year. Working to find a prevention is something that many doctors around the world are seeking. Now one doctor in the UK is looking at caffeine consumption during pregnancy as a possible trigger.
Before you toss your cup of coffee out the window as of yet there is no definite link found between the two. But researchers are exploring any possible avenue in hopes of finding what may be the trigger for this devastating cancer. According to an article in Science Daily :
Although there are currently no convincing links between caffeine and cancer risks, previous studies have found a link between alterations to DNA, which are sometimes found in newborn babies, to an increased risk of leukaemia. Caffeine has been shown to cause these kinds of changes to DNA
Pregnant women are already told not to consume caffeine during pregnancy, and many avoid it simply because it can cause the heartburn common to pregnant women. The American Pregnancy Association warns that caffeine can increase blood pressure and heart rate, both of which can be dangerous for a pregnant woman. They recommend pregnant women to only drink a moderate amount of caffeinated beverages, between 150 mg - 300 mg a day.
Image source - victorward
Caffeine has also been implicated in low birthweight and in premature births - though it’s hard to say if those are caused by the caffeine or because caffeine tends to suppress appetite. I just know that one of my very first clues that I was pregnant (in 7 pregancies) was that the smell of coffee made me nauseous - and I usually LOVE it. I couldn’t gag down a cup of coffee for the first two trimesters of any of my pregnancies.