Moderate Coffee Drinking OK in Pregnancy

WEBMD:  New Guidelines Say Moderate Amounts of Caffeine Won't Increase Miscarriage Risk

July 21, 2010 -- Many pregnant women cut out caffeine the minute they find out they are expecting because of fears that their daily coffee may increase their risk for miscarriage or preterm birth.

But a new position statement issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) should put some of their fears to rest. The group states that moderate caffeine intake -- less than 200 milligrams a day -- won't increase their risk of miscarriage or preterm birth.

The same cannot be said for higher amounts of caffeine, the group states in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

"For years, women have been getting mixed messages about whether or not they should have any caffeine during pregnancy," says William H. Barth Jr., MD, chair of ACOG's committee on obstetric practice, in a news release. "After a review of the scientific evidence to date, daily moderate caffeine consumption doesn't appear to have any major impact in causing miscarriage or preterm birth."

Variations in Caffeine Content

In general, 200 milligrams of caffeine is equal to one 12-ounce cup of coffee, but coffee drinkers should be aware that there can be tremendous discrepancies in different brews. For example, a grande 16-ounce Starbucks brewed coffee has 320 milligrams of caffeine.

Eight ounces of caffeinated tea and most 12-ounce soft drinks have less than 50 milligrams of caffeine; 1.55-ounce chocolate bars have less than 35 milligrams, according to information cited in the new report.

The new opinion statement is based on a literature review of recent studies looking at the effects of caffeine on pregnancy. The authors also looked at how caffeine affects risk of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) during pregnancy. While there is no definitive evidence that caffeine increases risk of IUGR, more study is needed to better understand this relationship, the new paper states.

Sami David, MD, a New York City-based reproductive endocrinologist and pregnancy loss expert, tells his patients to play it safe when it comes to caffeinated beverages during pregnancy.

"One cup of coffee a day, which is about 8 ounces and has around 100 milligrams of caffeine, or two cups of black or green tea per day is OK," says David.

As a people we are powerless. It is our government that is causing this and they know it!

I rarely get Political on this blog.  However, I came accross this comment from steveola251c appearing in the Washington Post which sums up why we as a nation are hated throughout the middle east.

steveola251c wrote:

I am ashamed of myself, as an American, for what my government has done in our name in the middle east. There is no excuse for our occupations, killing of hundreds of thousands of innocents, inundating their countries with depleted uranium weapons, white phosphorous weapons, sex slavery, inhuman torture of prisoners and all. We have no moral high ground whatsoever. I can honestly say that America, as an organized terrorist organization, is the biggest threat to the world, financially (through Goldman Sachs thievery) and decimation (through the American military.) In our empirical interests we will destroy ourselves, and we have no one else to blame. May our children forgive us for what we have done to their futures.

Single Cup Coffee Maker that would do it ALL

I would like your honest answer to a question please...

Here at liQuid heaVen we've been discussing, and are in a discussion fact finding stage presently. We are thinking of designing and marketing a single cup coffee maker.

This single serve vehicle would have a permanent re-useable nylon filter basket for both coffee and loose tea. It's footprint would be minimal, allowing one to take it with you. It would be a work of art in chrome.  It would also take any form of  pod, ground coffee, loose tea, tea bags and provide a consistently fantastic hot cup of brew from it.

The question I pose to you,  would this be of interest to you?

What if it had a life time guarantee for say, oh just ...$59.95?

WE COULD include all the bells and whistles if need be, but- I DON'T WANT TOO! I contend that all that is needed is a lighted on/off button that when pressed within three (3) minutes brews hot, your favourite ground or pod coffee or tea or loose tea.

Must you have a removable water reservoir? I am thinking permanent. You remove things, things break.  However, it has to be accessible for easy filling.

What do you think? Please let us know.  We are serious as a heart attack about this.

Can you spare just three minutes???

My daughter and I were discussing coffee brewers. Not K cup brewers, she won't go there with me, it is a loosing battle. Yeah, I know they ARE POPULAR. It is the WHY that I just don't get .

Like I have said here on the blog, I have tried them three times. K-Cups produce a substance, all be it dark that tastes like it was filtered through a homeless man's underpants. Now I am reading that consumers are complaining of a plastic like taste that resonates and stays with them.  Could this be from the pressureized 198 degree hopefully filtered water being forced through this plastic recepticle in less that 45 seconds?  YEAH!  You don't get this with a pod and a pod is recycleable.

Ok, I went off on a tangent. Back to coffee brewers. Why do some brewers have all the bells and whistles? i.e..buttons, clocks, lights?

Have we all collectively forgot the purpose of a coffee brewer? It is to brew a consistent quality cup of coffee, if you are using a single cup brewer, or a carafe of 10 to 12 cups of coffee for a gathering.

The buttons are for programming. Programming your cup or carafe to be ready for you in the morning. Operative word is morning, like HOURS from now. Ok, I guess the majority of us don't have a measly three minutes to wait for our FRESH cup of coffee anymore, hence the popularity (added expense too!) of buttons, clocks, lights what have you.

I say FRESH, because evidently...the majority of us out there who probably buy a good quality brand of their favourite coffee only to put it OUT to have the air-the worst enemy of the coffee to bombard it overnight as it sits there in the filter basket awaiting the bells, and whistles to get it started at whatever time was programmed in! Some may say I am being ridiculous and overstating the loss of quality that a brew to be looses over this time span. Maybe, but I don't think so.

But I still have three (3) minutes to get a FRESH, not affected by the air cup of coffee, thank you. Bet many of you never gave this any thought, eh?
Then again,  how many of you think a k cup produces the best coffee ever?  Gotta love that plastic!