Are Cold Drinks Harmful During Pregnancy? Guidelines for Expecting Mothers

Drinking diet soda during pregnancy increases the risk of excessive weight gain and gestational diabetes in pregnant women. If the pregnant woman gains excessive weight during pregnancy, then the chances of the child being born through C-section i.e. cesarean delivery increases. Gestational diabetes is the most common metabolic pregnancy complication that affects about 16 percent of pregnant women worldwide.

A study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology blames artificial sweeteners in diet soda to some extent for gestational diabetes. Study author Qilin Zhang said, “Using high-intensity artificial sweeteners promotes glucose intolerance compared to regular sugar. It increases the absorption of glucose in the intestines, which leads to a change in sweet taste and calorie intake, due to which the person starts eating more and his weight also starts increasing. 

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In this study, children were followed up till the age of 7 years and the results of the study showed that children whose mothers consumed diet soda during pregnancy were twice as likely to be obese as those children whose mothers had gestational diabetes but did not consume diet soda during pregnancy. In addition, cold drinks or soft drinks also contain high amounts of caffeine. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnant women should limit their caffeine consumption to less than 200 mg per day. 

Consuming beverages like cold drinks, soft drinks or diet soda during pregnancy can increase the risk of premature labor and delivery (preterm delivery). The risk increases. Also, there is a risk of the baby being overweight at birth. In fact, women who consumed cold drinks or diet soda during pregnancy were 60% more likely to give birth to overweight babies than women who did not drink soft drinks during pregnancy.

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Most cold drinks contain caffeine, which is addictive and has many harmful side effects. Caffeine is absorbed rapidly in the blood and it reaches the child quickly through the placenta. Caffeine affects the central nervous system and adrenal gland of the pregnant woman, and it remains in your circulatory system for about 11 hours. Not only this, caffeine is a diuretic and can cause dehydration. This is the reason why pregnant women are advised not to consume too much caffeine-containing things like cola, coffee, chocolate etc. 

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Many things like coloring agents, preservatives, flavors, artificial sweeteners are added to cold drinks and all these things are considered completely unhealthy for the woman during pregnancy. Also, due to these things, there can be a risk of allergy to the baby growing in the womb.

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Beverages like cold drinks, soft drinks and diet soda are carbonated, that is, they contain bubbles of carbon dioxide and the amount of caffeine in them is also very high. In such a situation, excessive consumption of carbonic acid and caffeine during pregnancy can greatly increase the problem of indigestion and heartburn.

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Many studies have revealed that when a pregnant woman consumes beverages containing too much sugar such as cold drinks, soft drinks and soda etc., it has a bad effect on the brain of the baby growing in their womb and the child's problem-solving ability and memory may decrease. Apart from this, the child's motor skills can also be affected.

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If a pregnant woman consumes very cold or ice water or beverages during pregnancy, then the temperature of the stomach can suddenly change which is not good for the child. Due to this, the mother's appetite may decrease, there may be a risk of indigestion, stomach cramps and sometimes there may be a risk of miscarriage and all these things directly or indirectly harm your child.

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