Tuesday's (14 August 2007) papers reported that a 17-year-old girl landed in hospital after drinking seven double espressos. Espresso is indeed strong stuff, with relatively large amounts of caffeine in each cup, but the effect it had on her was almost certainly due to the number of cups she drank. And some people are more susceptible to the effects of caffeine than others.
Posters in antenatal clinics remind us that one of the major concerns about caffeine is to do with possible effects of drinking too much coffee during pregnancy. This is because pregnancy is when the risk of effects is greatest.
The FSA is currently funding a studyto look at caffeine consumption in pregnancy to find out whether women should moderate their caffeine intake while they're expecting. The work was commissioned in 2001 following a review by the Committee on Toxicity (COT).
The COT looked at the possible effects of caffeine on the development of unborn babies. High caffeine intake was associated with an increased risk of low birth weight and miscarriage – high caffeine intake being 300mg of caffeine per day, equivalent to four mugs of instant coffee, three single expressos or six cups of tea. The COT highlighted the need for further research to clarify whether moderate caffeine intakes could affect unborn babies.
The current study aims to be as comprehensive as possible, using a large number of women and including all dietary sources of caffeine, such as tea, cola and chocolate. Once complete, the study will be reviewed by the COT and it is expected to report within the next year.
