COFFEE CAUSES MISCARRIAGES

8815

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Never accept anything you hear without questioning the speaker's special interests. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that women who drink five cups of coffee a day during the first three months of pregnancy are at increased risk for miscarriage, losing the baby before it is mature enough to be born safely.

Then the New York Times quoted Robert Nelson, who stated that "The research shows that pregnant women can drink four cups of coffee a day without apparent risk." This shows that Robert Nelson is giving an opinion without having the facts and may have a vested interest in defending coffee. He was wrong about coffee being safe for up to four cups a day because the study showed that one cup of coffee a day increases risk for miscarriage by 30 percent, 3 to 4 cups by 40 percent and five cups doubles a woman's chances of having a miscarriage.

Mr. Nelson also told the reporter that the association between coffee drinking and increased risk for miscarriage is flawed because women with healthy pregnancies tend to develop an aversion to coffee. More nonsense because there is no evidence anywhere that women with healthy pregnancies usually avoid coffee. AND, Mr. Nelson is president of the National Coffee Association Trade Group.

This study is more dependable than previous ones because it purposefully did not include women who had morning sickness or vomiting during the first three months of pregnancy. Morning sickness causes vomiting which causes many women to avoid coffee.

New England Journal of Medicine December 20, 2000

Reported 12/20/00; checked 9/3/05