December 7, 2023 – Consuming energy drinks before pregnancy may lead to an increased risk of gestational hypertension, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, according to a study co-authored by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers.
The study, published November 20 in the journal JAMA Network Open, was led by Ming Ding, former research associate at Harvard Chan School and current assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Senior author was Jorge Chavarro, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard Chan School.
“Given that the majority of energy drink consumers are young adults of reproductive age, including individuals who may become pregnant, it is of high importance to examine associations of energy drink intake with adverse pregnancy outcomes,” the study authors wrote.
The researchers found that study participants who consumed energy drinks before pregnancy had a higher risk of gestational hypertension. The association was stronger in participants above the age of 28.
Read the study: Intake of Energy Drinks Before and During Pregnancy and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
Read a November 30 Healio article featuring the study: Consuming energy drinks before pregnancy may raise risk for gestational hypertension
Photo: iStock/Sergei Chuyko