Drinking just half a cup of coffee during pregnancy can knock nearly an inch off a child's height by the time they are eight, according to new research. The discovery is based on almost 2,500 boys and girls in the US. It adds to evidence mums-to-be should abstain.
Corresponding author Dr Katherine Grantz said: "Though the clinical implications of an approximately 2cm difference are unclear, our findings for height are similar in magnitude to those of children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy." Current NHS guidelines recommend pregnant women should have less than 200mg a day - about two cups of instant coffee.
Dr Grantz, of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Maryland, said the phenomenon was identified well below this level. She added: "We consistently observed shorter height - which has been associated with increased risk of multiple cardiometabolic diseases."
