Effects of Maternal Caffeine Intake on Fetus Development

Question: Write about theEffects of Maternal Caffeine Intake on Fetus Development. Answer: What effects, to the developing fetus, can Maternal Caffeine consumption cause? Bakker, R., Steegers, E. A., Obradov, A., Raat, H., Hofman, A., Jaddoe, V. W. (2010). Maternal caffeine intake from coffee and tea, fetal growth, and the risks of adverse birth outcomes: the Generation R Study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 91(6), 1691-1698. Bucker and fellow authors wrote about the intake of caffeine on the fetus they have explained that the level of caffeine acquaintance is high in the western countries; therefore, women in these regions are likely to take caffeinated drinks even during pregnancy. The authors in their article reveal that the intake of caffeine by an expectant woman, the exposure of the fetus to the substance is increased therefore it can spontaneously pass through the placenta obstruction to the fetus. They show that in the placenta the caffeine metabolism enzyme is deficient hence it passes through right to the system of the body tissues of the fetus. They indicate that caffeine presence in the placenta promotes catecholamine concentrations that may result in the vasoconstriction of the placenta hence causing developmental problems. However, there are limitations surrounding the study because earlier studies have reported that maternal caffeine intake reduces the birth weight, increases incidences of pre-birth among other pregnancy-related conditions such as miscarriages but the effects of caffeine intake by the mother on the fetus remain uncertain. The study is of high relevance to my research because it will help me in trying to find out if there are effects that are related to caffeine intake and the development of the fetus despite the fact that there exists vague evidence about the subject. Chen, L., Bell, E. M., Browne, M. L., Druschel, C. M., Romitti, P. A. (2014). Exploring maternal patterns of dietary caffeine consumption before conception and during pregnancy. Maternal and child health journal, 18(10), 2446-2455. The authors of the article tried to evaluate the effects of maternal caffeine intake to the developing fetus. Chen reveals that in the early years women did not reduce the consumption of caffeinated beverages even during pregnancy. In fact, it is shown that some women increased the caffeine intake when pregnant for instance the smokers and the alcoholic consumers. The study indicates that due to continued increase of caffeine intake, there were following birth conditions. The study shows that today quite a large number of women take caffeine beverages in the world however at the onset of pregnancy almost half of the number stops to drink coffee and tea. The likelihood of reduction of caffeine intake is dictated by the level of education, non-smokers, non-alcoholics and the younger generations. The limitations surrounding the study include the lack of a concrete evidence base that proves caffeine intake can have adverse effects on the fetus as the study derives its data from the surve y carried out by the National Birth Defects Prevention study. The study is of much relevance to my research though the exact defects formed or conditions experienced by the fetus due to maternal caffeine intake are not explicitly addressed. Jahanfar, S., Jaafar, S. H. (2015). Effects of restricted caffeine intake by mother on fetal, neonatal and pregnancy outcomes. The Cochrane Library. Jahanfar and Jaafar wrote on the Effects of restricted caffeine intake by the mother on the fetus. In the study, they revealed that caffeine has serious effects on the growing fetus. For instance, the authors show that caffeine is not readily cleared in the body of an expectant mother; therefore, the amount of caffeine in the maternal blood is increased thus decreases the amount of Adenosine AI hence affecting the brain and other susceptible tissues. The study shows that a study was carried out with 568 women assigned to take caffeinated coffee and 629 expected to drink decaffeinated coffee. The women according to the survey were supposed to take three cups of coffee daily. The authors reveal that at the end of the experimental activity the intake of coffee had no effect on the growth, preterm birth or weight of birth. The limitation surrounding the study is the inadequate information that is to be used to confirm the effects of caffeine intake by pregnant women on their fetus. The s tudy is adequately relevant to my research as it provides some insight on caffeine and the maternal and fetal absorption rates even though it does not give the effects of outcomes of pregnancies. References Bakker, R., Steegers, E. A., Obradov, A., Raat, H., Hofman, A., Jaddoe, V. W. (2010). Maternal caffeine intake from coffee and tea, fetal growth, and the risks of adverse birth outcomes: the Generation R Study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 91(6), 1691-1698. Chen, L., Bell, E. M., Browne, M. L., Druschel, C. M., Romitti, P. A. (2014). Exploring maternal patterns of dietary caffeine consumption before conception and during pregnancy. Maternal and child health journal, 18(10), 2446-2455. Jahanfar, S., Jaafar, S. H. (2015). Effects of restricted caffeine intake by mother on fetal, neonatal and pregnancy outcomes. The Cochrane Library. Mioranzza, S., Nunes, F., Marques, D. M., Fioreze, G. T., Rocha, A. S., Botton, P. H. S., ... Porcincula, L. O. (2014). Prenatal caffeine intake differently affects synaptic proteins during fetal brain development. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 36, 45-52.