Study looks at link between caffeine and childhood leukaemia

A new study has begun looking at a possible link between consuming caffeine during pregnancy and the risk of childhood leukaemia.

The research being undertaken at the University of Leicester – and funded by the World Cancer Research Fund UK – is aiming to reduce the threat of the disease by tackling potential risks to unborn children.

“We want to find out whether consuming caffeine could lead to the sort of DNA changes in the baby that are linked to risk of leukaemia,” said Dr Marcus Cooke, from the university.

“This is an important area of research because it is vital that mothers are given the best advice possible.”

Leukaemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and white blood cells. It can affect people of all ages and around 7,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the UK.

At present, there is no single proven cause of childhood leukaemia – although exposure to radiation and/or a rare response to a common infection have been suggested as likely to play a part in the past.

Researchers have begun looking into the impact of caffeine passing back and forth across the placenta in unborn babies in a group of 1,340 pregnant women.