Maternal Coffee Consumption During Pregnancy and Neural Tube Defects in Offspring: A Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: To examine the association between maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy and the occurrence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in offspring. METHODS: PubMed, Springer Link and Elsevier databases were searched up to August, 2014. Case-control and cohort studies published on the association between maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy and the occurrence of NTDs in offspring were included. Meta-analysis was applied to calculate the pooled effect estimates and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model. RESULTS: A total of six case-control studies and one cohort study were included. The pooled effect estimate of maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy was 0.86 for total NTDs (95% CI: 0.51- 1.45) and 1.30 (95% CI: 0.67- 2.52) for NTDs subtype of spina bifida. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy was not significantly associated with the occurrence of total NTD or the spina bifida subtype of NTD.