EFFECT OF CAFFEINE INTAKE DURING PREGNANCY ON BIRTH-WEIGHT

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of caffeine consumptio n during pregnancy on birth weight and its possible interaction with s moking. The sample included 1,011 women who were interviewed during th eir first 3 days after delivery in one of the hospitals of Belgrade, Y ugoslavia. A significant reduction in birth weight was found to be ass ociated with an average caffeine intake of greater than or equal to 71 mg per day, after adjustment for gestational age, infant sex, parity, and maternal height and weight, but only in infants born to nonsmokin g mothers.