Abstract
Objective: We have analysed the association between coffee drinking before and during the three trimesters of pregnancy and risk of small for gestational age (SGA) birth.
Methods: Cases were 555 women who delivered SGA births (ie <10th percentile according Italian standard). The controls included 1966 women who gave birth at term (≥37 weeks of gestation) to healthy infants of normal weight.
Results: In comparison with nondrinkers, the ORs for SGA birth were 1.3 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.9–1.9) for consumption of four or more cups of coffee/day before pregnancy, and 1.2 (95% CI 0.8–1.8), 1.2 (95% CI 0.8–1.8) and 0.9 (95% CI 0.6–1.4) for consumption of three or more cups of coffee/day during the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy, respectively.
Conclusion: These findings were consistent in women who delivered preterm and at term births and were not affected by potential confounding such as smoking.
Sponsorship: Partly supported by the Commission of the European Communities (Contract No. QLK1-CT-2000-00069).
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We thank Ms Ivana Garimoldi and Judy Baggott for helpful editorial assistance.
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Guarantor: F Parazzini.
Contributors: FP was the principal investigator of the study giving the study hypothesis and planning the study design, FC and SC analysed the data, FC and FP drafted the paper, VC assisted in analyses and writing, LF contributed to the conception and design of the study, LT was involved in the baseline surveys for the study, LC took part in planning the study and interpreting the data and commented on the manuscript.
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Parazzini, F., Chiaffarino, F., Chatenoud, L. et al. Maternal coffee drinking in pregnancy and risk of small for gestational age birth. Eur J Clin Nutr 59, 299–301 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602052
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602052
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