Question

Drinking caffeine while pregnant will resort to deformity

Answer 1

The claim that drinking caffeine while pregnant will result in deformity is not true. Research shows that moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy does not directly cause birth defects or deformities. Most medical organizations agree that small amounts of caffeine are generally safe. Problems tend to arise only when caffeine intake is high, as excessive caffeine has been linked to increased risks of miscarriage, low birth weight, or preterm birth, not deformities. My sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3121964/

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/31/health/caffeine-stature-early-childhood-study-wellness

Answer 2

Moderate caffeine intake is not linked to birth defects

2. What primary sources did you find (e.g., transcripts, videos of politician speeches, tweets from public figures, scientific studies)? For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.

https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(08)00151-8/fulltext
Meta-analysis showing that caffeine consumption below 200 mg/day isn’t connected with congenital malformations.

https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-11-42
Large cohort study showing that maternal caffeine intake above 200 mg/day associated with slightly higher risk of low birth weight, but no evidence of structural deformities.

https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2010/08/coffee-and-caffeine-consumption-during-pregnancy
Recommends limiting caffeine to under 200 mg/day, no evidence links moderate consumption to birth defects.

3. What secondary sources did you find (e.g., newspapers, magazines)? Only use secondary sources if sufficient primary sources are not available. For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.

 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/expert-answers/pregnancy-caffeine/faq-20058564
Confirms that moderate caffeine intake is generally safe and not linked with fetal deformities
 

4. What potential biases or interests might each of your sources have?

Some observational studies may be affected by lifestyle factors like smoking, alcohol, or economic position.

'Better safe than sorry'

5. What evidence supports the claim you are fact-checking?

Extremely high caffeine intake in animal studies can cause developmental problems.
 

Excessive maternal caffeine (over 500mg) correlates with miscarriage or low birth weight.
 

6. What evidence undermines the claim you are fact-checking?

No credible evidence links normal human caffeine consumption to congenital deformities.
 

Large cohort and meta-analyses show no structural birth defects.
 

Official guidelines explicitly state moderate intake is safe.

Answer 3

The claim that caffeine consumption during pregnancy causes physical deformities in children is mostly false and highly exaggerated. A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that maternal caffeine intake is only linked to small reductions in child height that persist through early childhood, but not anything that would be considered or defined as a "deformity." Furthermore, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) notes that moderate consumption of caffeine (under 200mg per day) while pregnant is not a contributing factor in miscarriages or premature births. While there is a correlation between caffeine and very minor growth variances, there is no compelling evidence linking caffeine to physical deformities or malformations in infants.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/news/103122-caffeine-consumption-pregnancy

https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2010/08/moderate-caffeine-consumption-during-pregnancy

Answer 4

When investigating the claim that caffeine causes birth defects and deformities, there is a variety of conclusions. However, none of them show that this claim is definitive, and if it does have some truth to it it is not concrete nor a guarantee. The National Institute of Technology, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the ScienceDirect journal have all reported credible findings on the subject. The conclusion is controversial as conception, fertility, and pregnancy are all complex with a multitude of variables affecting the outcome.

For primary sources, I reviewed reports done by the NIH and the ACOG. The NIH reports that caffeine may be related to gestational complications and embryo health, but those for the most part are dosage based. Currently the recommended amount of caffeine per day for expecting mothers is 200mg. The NIH shows that potential issues only arise when dosages are high, and the correlation between caffeine and birth complications are still not completely clear. The ACOG states the same, that moderate caffeine usage during pregnancy does not appear to lead to preterm birth or defects, however research is ongoing.

For secondary sources I looked at MothertoBaby, a reference website for expecting parents and the ScienceDirect journal. MotherToBaby quotes ACOG as one of their sources among other credible institutions stating that caffeine is safe in moderation. Birth defects, complications, and miscarriages occur semi-often during pregnancy for a multitude of reasons, for now there doesn't seem to be overwhelming evidence that caffeine is a major contributor to those unless it is taken in large doses. ScienceDirect published a study that starts to question these claims. New research is being done that ties caffeine to gestational complications more, but it is still not a guarantee that drinking caffeine during pregnancy will cause harm to the baby. As with most things, everything in moderation.