Does tea consumption during early pregnancy have an adverse effect on birth outcomes?
Tea, a common beverage, has been suggested to exhibit a number of health benefits. However, one of its active ingredients, caffeine, has been associated with preterm birth and low birthweight. We investigated whether tea consumption during early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth and abnormal fetal growth.



A total of 8775 pregnant women were included from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study. Tea consumption (type, frequency, and strength) during their first trimester and social and demographic factors were obtained by way of questionnaires administered during pregnancy. Information on birth outcomes and complications during pregnancy was obtained from hospital medical records.



Overall habitual tea drinking (≥1 serving/week) prevalence among pregnant women was low, at 16%. After adjustment for potential confounding factors (eg, maternal age, educational level, monthly income) tea drinking during early pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of preterm birth or abnormal fetal growth (small or large for gestational age) (P>.05).



We did not identify a consistent association between frequency of tea consumption or tea strength and adverse birth outcomes among Chinese pregnant women with low tea consumption. Our findings suggest that occasional tea drinking during pregnancy is not associated with increased risk of preterm birth or abnormal fetal growth. Given the high overall number of annual births in China, our findings have important public health significance.
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Jin-Hua
JH
Lu
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Jian-Rong
JR
He
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Song-Ying
SY
Shen
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Xue-Ling
XL
Wei
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Nian-Nian
NN
Chen
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Ming-Yang
MY
Yuan
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Lan
L
Qiu
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Wei-Dong
WD
Li
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Qiao-Zhu
QZ
Chen
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Cui-Yue
CY
Hu
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Hui-Min
HM
Xia
Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Suzanne
S
Bartington
Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Kar Keung
KK
Cheng
Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Kin Bong Hubert
KBH
Lam
Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Xiu
0000-0003-1248-229X
X
Qiu
D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005320:Fetal Macrosomia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013662:Tea
D013662:Tea
Chinese; abnormal fetal growth; birth cohort; preterm birth; tea