By Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor, Mail Online, 12 July 2010
Concern: The study suggests pregnant women should think about how many fizzy drinks they consume. Mothers-to-be who down cans of fizzy drink containing artificial sweeteners could be at greater risk of having a premature baby.
Research funded by the EU found a correlation between the amount of diet drink consumed and an early birth among the 60,000 women studied. Many had switched from sugary drinks to those with artificial sweeteners believing they were a healthier option. But this study suggests that drinks using sweeteners, such as aspartame, carried dangers for the unborn child. Some British public health experts are now advising expectant mothers to avoid food and drink containing the chemicals.
It is rare for a mother-to-be to give birth before 37 weeks of a normal pregnancy. But the EU research suggests this low risk was increased by 38 per cent if the woman was drinking, on average, one can of diet drink a day. Routinely drinking four or more cans a day could increase the risk by as much as 78 per cent.
However, the researchers said in a report in the journal of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition that there was no link associated with sugar-sweetened drinks. They suggested that exposure to methanol, which is in some artificial sweeteners, may play a part in bringing forward the birth.
Critics of the sweeteners say methanol is a known nerve toxin, which can form formic acid in the body. It can also lead to formaldehyde, the chemical used to preserve dead bodies. Historically, saccharine has also been identified as accumulating in the placenta.
Co-author of the study, Dr Thorhallur Ingi Halldorsson, said the research might be ‘helpful in identifying sub-groups where intake of these sweeteners should perhaps be avoided or limited’.
Public health expert Professor Erik Millstone, of the University of Sussex, said: ‘I would think it is prudent for pregnant women to diminish consumption of these drinks and possibly those foods containing artificial sweeteners.’
The British Soft Drinks Association said: ‘This study merits a cautious reaction. ‘Its findings should not be over-stated.’