New study suggests caffeine-SIDS link

Pregnant women are advised to stop drinking coffee or limit the amount to no more than a cup a day

January 27, 1998
Web posted at: 1:19 p.m. EST (1819 GMT)

ATLANTA (CNN) -- There may be a link between caffeine intake by pregnant women and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, according to new findings published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.

"There's evidence, not great, but evidence that babies who go on to die of SIDS are not normal, even from the very first day of life, which means it's happening sometime prior to that birth," said Dr. Al Steinschneider of the Atlanta-based American SIDS Institute.

SIDS is the unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant, whose cause of death remains unexplained after a postmortem investigation.

For some time, doctors have advised pregnant women to avoid coffee, tea and other caffeinated beverages, because studies have linked them to miscarriages and low birth weights.

The SIDS study shows that drinking four or more cups of coffee a day throughout pregnancy almost doubles the chance of SIDS. The findings show that a pregnant mother's high caffeine intake may alter her fetus's respiratory system.

Steinschneider

"Caffeine is a drug. And it has a generalized effect -- not only on the mother but also the baby. It has an effect on the respiratory centers of the baby. Whether that has a long-term effect -- no one knows," Steinschneider said.

The SIDS death rate has been decreasing: It was .87 U.S. deaths per 1,000 live births in 1995, and the preliminary 1996 rate is lower.

Some doctors say the decline may be partly attributed to the fact that more parents are now putting their babies to sleep on their backs, rather than on their sides or stomachs.

Researchers say more studies will be needed to come up with a firm link between caffeine and SIDS.

In the meantime, doctors suggest that pregnant mothers stop drinking coffee or limit consumption to one cup a day.

Correspondent Rhonda Rowland contributed to this report.

Related sections:

• In-Depth Health: Pregnancy

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Institute
• SIDS Network
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Statistical Rolodex - Infant Mortality
  • Infant Health
• Pregnancy Complications News

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

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