How Does Caffeine Affect Pregnancy BY Edi Hung

How Does Caffeine affect Pregnancy? This is a very common question and act as an important role to a healthy pregnancy.


Caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group.It is actually a drug, much like nicotine and alcohol.Caffeine is also addictive, which is why so many people crave their coffee and cola! Caffeine, also known as guareine and mateine, is a naturally-occurring substance found in a number of plants, beans, and seeds.It is also found in a number of foods and beverages, including: tea, coffeecolas, hot chocolate,chocolate, various nuts,etc.

Caffeine is also found in certain medications, particularly those for migraine headaches, and in some dietary supplements.

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. In moderate doses, caffeine can:

* increase alertness

* reduce fine motor coordination

* cause insomnia

* cause headaches, nervousness and dizziness

* increased heart rate

* increased blood pressure

* increased sweat production

* cause symptoms of nausea and lightheadedness, as well as respiratory problems

In massive doses, caffeine is lethal. A fatal dose of caffeine has been calculated to be more than 10 grams (about 170 mg/kg body weight) - this is the same as drinking 80 to 100 cups of coffee in rapid succession - not an easy thing to do.Most health care providers suggest eliminating all caffeinated foods and beverages from your pregnancy diet. Yet, some pregnant women find this especially difficult, particularly because so many food items contain small amounts of caffeine. If you are finding it hard to eliminate all caffeine from your diet, one caffeinated beverage or food item once in awhile probably won't make much difference to your baby's health. However, it is important to realize that caffeine does pose a risk to your little one, especially in large amounts, so work to reduce that caffeine intake.

The table below shows the studies of Caffeine and birth weight and duration of pregnancy



The following info displays common caffeinated products and the amounts of caffeine they contain:

Drink/Food/Supplement | Amt. of Drink/Food | Amt. of Caffeine

SoBe No Fear | 8 ounces | 83 mg

Monster energy drink | 16 ounces | 160 mg

Rockstar energy drink | 8 ounces | 80 mg

Red Bull energy drink | 8.3 ounces | 80 mg

Jolt cola | 12 ounces | 72 mg

Mountain Dew | 12 ounces | 55 mg

Coca-Cola | 12 ounces | 34 mg

Diet Coke | 12 ounces | 45 mg

Pepsi | 12 ounces | 38 mg

7-Up | 12 ounces | 0 mg

Brewed coffee (drip method) | 5 ounces | 115 mg*

Iced tea | 12 ounces | 70 mg*

Cocoa beverage | 5 ounces | 4 mg*

Chocolate milk beverage | 8 ounces | 5 mg*

Dark chocolate | 1 ounce | 20 mg*

Milk chocolate | 1 ounce | 6 mg*

Jolt gum | 1 stick | 33 mg

Cold relief medication | 1 tablet | 30 mg*

Vivarin | 1 tablet | 200 mg

Excedrin extra strength | 2 tablets | 130 mg

*denotes average amount of caffeine

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Soft Drink Association, Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Caffeine enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine and can have its effects as soon as 15 minutes after it is consumed. Once in the body, caffeine will stay around for hours: it takes about 6 hours for one half of the caffeine to be eliminated.

Though researchers debate how much caffeine is acceptable during pregnancy, there is evidence to suggest than any amount will cause some physical effects on your little one. This is because caffeine passes through your placenta and is absorbed by your baby. Adults are able to break down caffeine fairly quickly, thanks to chemicals inside of our body. However, your developing baby can't do this as efficiently. This means that caffeine will be stored inside of his blood for longer periods of time, and could reach dangerously high levels.

Caffeine also affects other aspects of your baby's health. It is known to increase your baby's heart rate and may affect how much he moves in utero. Because caffeine is a diuretic, it can also affect the nutrition your baby receives from you. Caffeine intake may cause you to absorb less iron and calcium from foods, a possible detriment to your baby's overall fetal development.

Recent studies have focused on the effects of coffee intake during pregnancy. A large-scale Danish study polled more than 80,000 pregnant women regarding their coffee intake. This study found that women who drank large amounts of coffee during pregnancy were more likely to experience a miscarriage. Women who drank more than 2 cups of coffee a day had a slightly increased risk of miscarriage, while those that drank 8 or more cups experienced a 59% increase. This is why it is so important to watch your caffeine intake during pregnancy.

Interestingly, this Danish study found that this considerably greater risk of miscarriage was specific to coffee. Other caffeinated beverages and foods did not present the same significant increase, leading researchers to believe that other chemicals contained in coffee could possibly play a role in causing miscarriage.

To quit smoking and drinking can be difficult, to eliminate caffeine from your daily diet can also be hard. However, you can do something to reduce your caffeine intake and ensure that you and your baby stay healthy throughout your pregnancy.

* Exercise regularly to help combat any withdrawal symptoms and to stay energized.

* Stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water will help you manage cravings and fatigue.

* Cut back on your caffeine intake slowly. Going cold turkey can cause you to experience withdrawal symptoms, like headaches and nausea.

* Try replacing your caffeinated beverages with non-caffeinated ones, like decaf coffee.

Therefore, it is obvious that to get an idea of how Does Caffeine affect Pregnancy is very important to keep the pregnant women and their babies healthy.


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/womens-health-articles/how-does-caffeine-affect-pregnancy-474144.html

Caffeine Blues: Ten Ways Caffeine Harms Your Health and How To Kick The Habit BY Erin Elster

Caffeine is considered the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world. It is estimated that approximately 80% of the world's population consumes caffeine on a daily basis. The most common dietary sources of caffeine are coffee, soda, tea, and chocolate. After ingesting caffeine, it is completely absorbed within 30 to 45 minutes and then its effects diminish within about three hours. As many caffeine drinkers can attest, when you ingest high levels of caffeine, you may feel your mood soar and then plummet, leaving you craving more caffeine to make it soar again. While caffeine is eventually excreted so there is no accumulation in the body, it has been shown to adversely affect mood, stamina, stress levels, the cardiovascular system, and gastric health, to name a few.


10 Consequences of Caffeine Consumption

1. Caffeine is highly addictive. Like other drugs, caffeine causes a chemical addiction within the brain. Quitting coffee or soda can create withdrawal symptoms - headaches, sleepiness, irritability, anxiety - while the brain's chemistry readjusts.

2. Caffeine exacerbates mood disorders in adults and children. Mood disturbances such as anxiety, depression, irritability, and attention disorders are aggravated by chronic caffeine consumption. Rather than increasing mental activity as many caffeine drinkers believe, caffeine actually decreases blood flow to the brain by as much as 30% and negatively impacts memory and mental performance. Mood disturbances may appear after the stimulant effect of caffeine wears off - often about three hours later prompting many to consume more caffeine - and they may also appear during the recovery period after quitting caffeine.

3. Caffeine increases stress. Caffeine stimulates the secretion of stress hormones - cortisol (adrenaline) from the adrenal glands - which can increase levels of anxiety, irritability, muscular tension, indigestion, insomnia, and decreased immunity. Continued stimulation of the adrenal glands can ultimately lead to adrenal exhaustion, which leaves a person vulnerable to a variety of health problems including autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Because of chronically increased stress hormone levels, caffeine consumption can render some incapable of making healthy responses to the stressful situations that occur in their daily lives.

4. Caffeine accelerates bone loss. Caffeine causes the urinary excretion of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and trace minerals, which can lead to osteoporosis.

5. Caffeine contributes to blood sugar problems. Caffeine stimulates a temporary surge in blood sugar creating a quick burst of energy; however, increased blood sugar triggers an insulin spike, which ultimately causes a sugar crash within hours. This blood sugar rollercoaster can contribute to diabetes, hypoglycemia, and weight gain because insulin triggers the body to store excess sugar as fat.

6. Caffeine affects your heart's health. Because caffeine acts as a stimulant, it increases pulse and blood pressure. It also contributes to the development of heart disease because caffeine increases cholesterol levels as well as a chemical called homocysteine, which has been linked to heart attacks.
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7. Caffeine affects your stomach acid. Caffeine causes your stomach to produce extra hydrochloric acid (HCL), which creates an increased risk for ulcers, heartburn, and gastro-esophageal reflux.

8. Caffeine accelerates aging. Caffeine contributes to the decline in production of hormones produced in abundance during youth - DHEA, melatonin, and others - which speeds the aging process. Because caffeine dehydrates the body, skin loses water from its cells, causing wrinkling and sagging.

9. Caffeine affects normal sleep patterns. Because it is a stimulant, caffeine keeps you awake longer, thereby shortening the amount and the quality of sleep each night, which takes a toll on your level of alertness the next day and overall health. Because of sleep deprivation and fatigue, a person might look to caffeine for a boost, thereby perpetuating the vicious cycle.

10. Caffeine increases the risk for male and female health problems. Studies show that caffeine increases the risk for prostate and urinary problems in men. In women, fibrocystic breast disease, PMS, osteoporosis, infertility problems, miscarriage, low birth weight infants, and menopausal problems such as hot flashes are aggravated by caffeine.

Kick the Caffeine Habit

Weaning yourself off of caffeine requires patience and perseverance, just like detoxifying from any other drug addiction. While some people can successfully quit by eliminating caffeine all at once, most people will need to gradually reduce the amount of caffeine they consume in order to minimize suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

* Here is an example of a gradual schedule: 3 cups of coffee or soda per day in the first week; 2 per day during the second; 1 during the third; and none during the fourth.

*Another strategy is to gradually replace coffee with decaf: During the first week, when you make your coffee, use 3/4 regular and 1/4 decaf; the second week, use 1/2 and 1/2; the third week, use 1/4 regular and 3/4 decaf; the fourth week, you're drinking decaf!

* If you are a soda drinker, you can gradually replace your soda with sparkling water and/or caffeine-free soda.

* Whatever strategy you choose, it is important to drink plenty of water and to get plenty of sleep to assist with the detoxification process.

Because caffeine consumption is so commonplace, it is easy to become complacent about the potential health hazards. However, given the mounting research, it is important to 'wake up' to the hidden dangers your morning coffee creates. Make a positive choice for your health and kick the caffeine habit today!



Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/caffeine-blues-ten-ways-caffeine-harms-your-health-and-how-to-kick-the-habit-424388.html