Varying Caffeine Levels May Endanger Pregnant Women

A study by Glasgow University, led senior researcher Alan Crozier, showed espressos bought from different coffee shops contain vastly different amounts of caffeine. The discrepancy in caffeine levels could pose a risk to pregnant women and others who need to monitor their caffeine intake.

Analysis of espresso coffee from 20 different coffee houses indicates that one was six times stronger than the others. Imagine if one consumed six times more coffee than anticipated.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) reports that too much caffeine during pregnancy may result in miscarriage or a low birth weight. As a result, the FSA advises that pregnant women limit their caffeine intake to no more than 200 mg a day, based on the assumption that an espresso contains about 50 mg of caffeine. The average caffeine intake for a healthy person is 300 mg per day.

The FSA currently advises pregnant women to consume no more than 200mg of caffeine a day, based on an assumption that an espresso contains about 50mg of caffeine. The guideline for an average healthy person is 300mg a day.

Crozier says “You metabolize caffeine much more slowly when you're pregnant.” Additionally, people with liver diseases do not have the enzymes to process caffeine. These people need to be careful how much caffeine they are consuming, which can be hard to do when coffee houses vary.

"The analysis that we did showed the amount of caffeine ranged from 50 mg per cup from Starbucks, up to over 300mg per cup from another coffee house, Patisserie Francoise," he said. "I was very surprised by this."

Drinking just one of the strongest cups of coffee would more than exceed the "safe" level for pregnant women.

"If you go to different coffee houses you can tell that some are much stronger than others," Crozier said. "The problem comes with people who should have a limited caffeine intake.”