The Association Between Coffee and Tea Consumption During Pregnancy and Preterm Delivery: Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Perinatal Health
• Nutritional Epidemiology

Background:

• Preterm delivery is a significant global health concern with multifactorial causes.
• Understanding modifiable risk factors during pregnancy is crucial for prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential association between maternal coffee and tea consumption and the incidence of preterm delivery.
• To identify other risk factors contributing to preterm birth.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study was conducted with 314 cases of preterm delivery and 796 controls.
• Data on coffee and tea intake, along with potential confounding factors, were collected through interviews during hospitalization for delivery.

Main Results:

• Several factors were significantly associated with preterm delivery, including advanced maternal age, parity, history of abortions, family history of preterm birth, subfertility treatment, diabetes mellitus, worsened emotional status, short inter-pregnancy interval, lack of iron consumption, folic acid use, and Black ethnicity.
• After adjusting for these confounders, neither coffee nor tea consumption showed a statistically significant association with an increased risk of preterm delivery.

Conclusions:

• The study's findings do not support a link between the consumption of coffee or tea during pregnancy and preterm delivery.
• Further research may explore specific components or higher consumption levels, but current evidence suggests moderate intake is not a risk factor.