A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 2 studies with a total of 1230 subjects. Women less than 20 weeks pregnant were randomly assigned to drink 3 cups of caffeinated instant coffee or decaffeinated instant coffee (caffeine difference 182 mg/day). There was no difference between in birthweight (3539 g in caffeinated group vs 3519 g in decaffeinated group; mean difference (MD) 20.00, 95% CI -48.68 to 88.68), preterm birth (4.2% vs 5.2% respectively; RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.37), or small-for-gestational age babies (4.5% vs 4.7% respectively; RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.64). Other sources of dietary caffeine (tea, chocolate, etc) were not measured in the study.
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by imprecise results (wide confidence intervals) and by indirectness (other sources of dietary caffeine were not measured, only some of the clinically important outcomes were reported).
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