[NakedScientist (OP)]

Pregnant women who drink eight or more cups of coffee
a day run more than twice the risk of stillbirth compared
with women who do not drink coffee, finds a study in this
week's BMJ.

Researchers in Denmark identified 18,478 pregnant
women booking for delivery at Aarhus University Hospital
during 1989-96. The women completed two
questionnaires, providing information such as medical
history, smoking habits, alcohol and coffee consumption.

The risk of stillbirth increased with the number of cups of
coffee a day during pregnancy. Compared with women
who did not drink any coffee, women who drank four to
seven cups a day had an 80% increased risk of stillbirth,
and women who drank eight or more cups a day a 300%
increased risk. There was no association between coffee
consumption and death in the first year of life.

Women with a high intake of coffee are more likely to be
smokers and to have a high intake of alcohol, say the
authors. Adjusting for these factors reduced the risk
slightly, but the link remained significant.

Link :
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7386/420