by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Pregnancy

Consuming a lot of caffeine during pregnancy could put your baby at greater risk of becoming overweight, a new study suggests.
Researchers in Norway looked at the caffeine intake of more than 50,000 moms during pregnancy and followed their baby's weight gain from 6 weeks through age 8. They found that the more caffeine women consumed (such as in coffee, tea, chocolate or sodas), the higher their chances were of having a baby who gained excessive weight during childhood, according to the study published in BMJ Open.
The study authors classified low caffeine consumption in pregnancy as less than 50 milligrams a day, or about half a small cup of coffee. Compared to children born to these women, babies born to moms who consumed higher amounts of caffeine during pregnancy showed an increased propensity for weight gain in childhood. Children at highest risk of excessive weight gain, and of continuing to be overweight or obese at age 8, were those whose moms drank at least 300 milligrams (approximately two 8-ounce cups of coffee) a day. These children were up to 44 percent more likely to gain excessive weight compared to children whose moms were in the low-consumption group, the study found.

The study relied on women self-reporting their caffeine intake at just one point during their pregnancy, so their recollections may not have been entirely accurate. Also, it was an observational study, not a controlled experiment. It doesn't prove ...