For many years now I’ve been urging pregnant women (and women aiming to conceive) to cut down or better still avoid caffeine altogether because even relatively small amounts of caffeine have been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage. And now the Government Food Standard’s Agency (FSA) is warning women to limit their consumption of caffeine from three cups to two cups a day.

This warning coincides with a study linking caffeine to smaller babies. And earlier this year research in the US published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found that drinking more than 200mg of coffee a day also doubled the risk of miscarriage.

Previously studies have indicated that more than three cups of coffee a day to an increased risk of miscarriage but now the FSA is lowering the recommended limit of 300 mg a day to 200 mg, the equivalent of two average sized mugs of instant or two cups of brewed coffee a day. It has also identified other products, such as tea, coffee and cola, containing caffeine that count towards the 200 mg.

Researchers from Leicester and Leeds universities monitored the daily caffeine intake of 2,500 pregnant women using questionnaires. They compared this with the birth weight of the baby, taking into account the weight and ethnic background of the mother. The research, published in the British Medical Journal found that women with a caffeine intake of more than 200mg a day were more likely to give birth to smaller babies.

There have also been studies linking just one cup of coffee a day with an increased risk of infertility so even though the FSA currently advises no more than two cups a day my advice to pregnant women and women trying to conceive remains the same: avoid caffeine altogether and replace with healthy alternatives such as herbal teas. It is also important to be aware that some coffee sold in coffee shop chains contains higher levels of caffeine than assumed in the FSA guidelines, which state that an average mug of coffee contains 100mg. A small cafe latte can contain as much as 240mg of caffeine, meaning a pregnant woman would exceed the recommended daily caffeine intake in one drink.

Previous studies have shown that vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin which is produced from sunshine and found in oily fish and eggs is important for a healthy pregnancy, but a new study shows that a deficiency may also affect sperm.

The research found that almost a third of men experiencing fertility problems had low levels of vitamin D. The University of Sydney findings presented at the Fertility Society Conference investigated DNA fragmentation of sperm, a significant factor in male infertility. DNA fragmentation of sperm is most often the result of cellular damage resulting from infection, smoking or advanced paternal age. 58% of the men had high levels of DNA fragmentation.  (If you are interested in this test, please see the Resources Page).  These findings add weight to a European study earlier this year that shows women’s vitamin D levels strongly correlate with their ability to conceive.

The results of this study once again show how beneficial for both male and female fertility positive diet and lifestyle changes can be. For most people just spending ten to twenty minutes outside in natural day light every day and eating two to three portions of oily fish a week is enough of a boost to vitamin D levels.

It’s not just what you eat that can make you gain weight – it’s also HOW you eat. New research published in the British Journal of Medical Research Online First has shown that people who eat fast treble their risk of being overweight. Scientists have suggested that eating on the run and the couch potato lifestyles of fast food, larger portions and TV dinners and the demise of family mealtimes may be significant factors in growing levels of obesity. Eating fast can make you fat even if the calories consumed are less than people who eat slower. It is thought that the joint impact of eating quickly and until full overrides brain signals which encourage more self control.

Researchers from Osaka University Japan carried out a study of 3,200 Japanese men and women aged 30 to 69 between 2003 and 2006. Everyone was sent a diet history questionnaire. Half of the men and 58 per cent of the women said they normally ate until they were full; just under half of men and a third of women said they ate quickly. The people who said they ate until full and quickly had higher levels of body fat than those who did not eat until full and did not eat quickly. In fact both men and women in this group were three times more likely to be overweight than those who said this was not the way they ate.

We have always known the importance of chewing food for a long time and eating slowly and I have always urged my patients to take the time to chew their food when eating a meal. If you eat slowly then there is feedback from the brain that tells your stomach you have had enough and this stops you eating until you are full. It typically takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to register being full so have a break between courses. Put your knife and fork down between bites. The longer you chew your food the fuller you will feel; some experts recommend chewing a mouthful up to 20 times because chewing breaks down molecules exposing them to saliva which is the start of the digestive process. Also never eat while reading or watching TV. You need to concentrate on your food so that your brain can get signals about how much you are eating. Finally, don’t talk and eat at the same time, as swallowing air makes digestion more difficult and can give you more flatulence and bloating because of the intake of air. This doesn’t mean you should avoid conversation during meals it just means you should talk when your mouth isn’t full.