British experts advise pregnant women to drink less coffee for their health

British researchers have found that excessive caffeine intake by pregnant women increases the chances of giving birth to underweight babies. Based on the findings, the Food Standards Agency will reduce the recommended caffeine intake for pregnant women this week, advising them to drink no more than two cups of coffee a day.

Researchers at the University of Leeds and the University of Leicester surveyed 2500 pregnant women and asked them to answer questions about their daily caffeine intake, the Daily Mail reported. Experts compared the data with the baby's birth weight, taking into account the mother's weight and ethnic background.

Women who consume more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day are more likely to give birth to underweight babies, the study found. Even consuming slightly less caffeine than recommended by the British Food Standards Agency can have an adverse effect on pregnant women, the researchers said.

Caffeine not only reduces the birth weight of babies, but also increases the rate of spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. If the gestational age is not enough, the children born are more likely to have mental retardation and ADHD later in life. The findings will be published in the British Medical Journal Weekly on the 5th.

After studying the results, the British Food Standards Agency believes that although the current limit for pregnant women's daily caffeine intake is only 300 milligrams, it is still too much for pregnant women. So the Bureau of Standards will reduce the daily intake limit of caffeine for pregnant women to 200 milligrams.