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Maternal caffeine intake and breastfeeding duration: A systematic review
 
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1
Department of Midwifery, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
 
2
Obstetric Emergency Department, General and Maternity Hospital Helena Venizelou, Athens, Greece
 
 
Publication date: 2023-10-24
 
 
Corresponding author
Maria Tigka   

Department of Midwifery, School of Health and Care Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
 
 
Eur J Midwifery 2023;7(Supplement 1):A162
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Globally, caffeine is the most commonly consumed addictive substance with an estimated prevalence of about 80%1. Excessive intake is not recommended, especially during the perinatal period due to reported adverse effects2. Research on breastfeeding is scarce with the majority focusing on the potential impacts on the breastfeeding child3. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of maternal caffeine consumption during the perinatal period and the associations between caffeine intake and breastfeeding duration.

Material and Methods:
The online databases PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Google Scholar were systematically searched for relevant articles published between 1993-2023 following PRISMA guidelines. Keywords were: “maternal”, “caffeine consumption”, “caffeine intake”, “breastfeeding initiation”, “breastfeeding duration”, “breastfeeding cessation’’, “lactation’’.

Results:
Five cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. Mattar et al.4 and Tigka et al.5 reported longer duration of breastfeeding in association with maternal caffeine consumption in their studies (mean±SD: 5.32 ± 5.66; p=0.031 and β=0.09; SE: 0.04; p=0.045, respectively). On the contrary, caffeine was negatively associated with longer duration of breastfeeding in two prospective studies conducted by Clifford et al. and Rebhan et al. (HR=1.34; 95% CI: 1.06-1.70 and OR=1.49; 95% CI: 1.25-1.79, p<0.001 respectively)6,7. Finally, a Swedish study recruiting 10205 infants did not demonstrate any associations between maternal caffeine intake and breastfeeding duration8. The prevalence of antenatal caffeine consumption ranged from 52.6 to 86.6%4-7 and from 49.3 to 84.8% during lactation4,5,7.

Conclusions:
The results of the included studies are contradictory, thus preventing safe conclusions on this issue and the provision of evidence-based advice to breastfeeding mothers. Evidence on correlations between maternal caffeine consumption and breastfeeding duration is insufficient, highlighting the need for further research.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
FUNDING
There was no source of funding for this research.
 
REFERENCES (8)
1.
Heckman MA, Weil J, Gonzalez de Mejia E. Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine) in foods: a comprehensive review on consumption, functionality, safety, and regulatory matters. J Food Sci. 2010;75(3):R77-R87. doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01561.x
 
2.
James JE. Maternal caffeine consumption and pregnancy outcomes: a narrative review with implications for advice to mothers and mothers-to-be. BMJ Evid Based Med. 2021;26(3):114-115. doi:10.1136/bmjebm-2020-111432
 
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McCreedy A, Bird S, Brown LJ, Shaw-Stewart J, Chen YF. Effects of maternal caffeine consumption on the breastfed child: a systematic review. Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14665. Published 2018 Sep 28. doi:10.4414/smw.2018.14665
 
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Mattar L, Hobeika M, Zeidan RK, Salameh P, Issa C. "Breastfeed for a Healthier Lebanon" study group. Determinants of Exclusive and Mixed Breastfeeding Durations and Risk of Recurrent Illnesses in Toddlers Attending Day Care Programs Across Lebanon. J Pediatr Nurs. 2019;45:e24-e34. doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2018.12.015
 
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Tigka M, Metallinou D, Tzeli M, Lykeridou K. Maternal tobacco, alcohol and caffeine consumption during the perinatal period: A prospective cohort study in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tob Induc Dis. 2023;21:80. Published 2023 Jun 16. doi:10.18332/tid/166109
 
6.
Clifford TJ, Campbell MK, Speechley KN, Gorodzinsky F. Factors influencing full breastfeeding in a southwestern ontario community: assessments at 1 week and at 6 months postpartum. J Hum Lact. 2006;22(3):292-304. doi:10.1177/0890334406290043
 
7.
Rebhan B, Kohlhuber M, Schwegler U, Koletzko B, Fromme H. Rauchen, Alkoholkonsum und koffeinhaltige Getränke vor, während und nach der Schwangerschaft - Ergebnisse aus der Studie "Stillverhalten in Bayern" [Smoking, alcohol and caffeine consumption of mothers before, during and after pregnancy--results of the study 'breast-feeding habits in Bavaria']. Gesundheitswesen. 2009;71(7):391-398. doi:10.1055/s-0028-1128111
 
8.
Ludvigsson JF, Ludvigsson J. Socio-economic determinants, maternal smoking and coffee consumption, and exclusive breastfeeding in 10205 children. Acta Paediatr. 2005;94(9):1310-1319. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2005.tb02093.x
 
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