Caffeine in breast milk can vary depending on how much caffeine the mother consumes.
The amount of 1 mg of caffeine per 3.4 floz or 100 ml of breast milk is the estimated amount present after a breastfeeding woman consumes 16 floz Large brewed coffee from Starbucks (330 mg of caffeine).
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Breast Milk Caffeine Formula
Researchers found that women who consume 100 mg of caffeine usually transfer about 2-4 micrograms of caffeine per 1 ml of breast milk with peak concentration being 1-2 hours after consuming the caffeine.
- We took the average amount which is 3 micrograms / ml.
- 3 micrograms = .003 milligrams.
- .003 x 100 ml = .3 mg / 100 ml of breast milk.
- A 16 floz Starbucks delivers 330 mg of caffeine so we have to multiply .3 by 3.3 to arrive at .99 mg or rounded up to 1 mg of caffeine per 10 ml of breast milk.
Breastfeeding and Safe Caffeine Amount
The European Food Safety Authority recently released the findings of their research on caffeine safety and included data on lactating / breastfeeding women.
They stated that single doses of about 200 mg pose no risk to the nursing child, but breastfeeding women should consume no more than 200 mg of caffeine per day in total.
However, other research shows that up to 3 months old, a baby's body does not do a good job of processing caffeine. Therefore, it can build up in the baby's system over time. A review of all research conducted by the University of Warwick found that there is no positive or negative association with small amounts of caffeine in breastmilk as it relates to the health of the baby.
Breastfeeding mothers should keep this in mind when consuming anything caffeine, however, after 3 months it is probably safe for mothers to have moderate caffeine amounts of 200 mg per day.
It is worth noting that caffeine, when given to premature babies or babies with low birthweight, stimulates their breathing and prevents sleep apnea and possibly sudden infant death syndrome . Recent research concluded that this treatment is safe and poses no risk to the baby's cardiovascular system.
However, only medical professionals should administer caffeine to at-risk newborns infants since accurate dosing is paramount.
Research has just been released that shows that almost all of the samples of breastmilk tested from an online breastmilk marketplace contained levels of caffeine. Women should use caution when using such resources. The researchers also found bacteria and unsafe levels of other drugs in the samples obtained.
Caffeine Causes Breast Shrinkage
A strange side effect of caffeine is that it could possibly cause breast tissue to shrink.
Although there are numerous studies that report that women have moderate cups of coffee a day have less risk of cancer, stroke , and heart disease, caffeine does come with it's share of negatives as well.
So this negative could possibly be that despite the fact that coffee consumed daily may be healthy , it has been shown by one study to shrink breast size slightly.
The Caffeine and Breast Shrinkage Study
This study comes out of Sweden whose people are known for their love for massive amounts of coffee.
The study found that women who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had some remarkable breast tissue shrinkage.
Helena Jernstroem, of Lund University explained that although some shrinkage was noted, the breasts would not eventually disappear, but only shrink slightly. Also, it only shrinks the breasts of women with a certain gene.
What This Means
Not much of anything. The decreased size was barely noticeable and would only be possible in certain women. There would also be a lot more research involved to fully understand how this is happening.
It looks like this finding was part of a larger study of the researcher conducted on breast cancer .
Women do not really need to worry about this, but it is interesting to note that there is so much we do not understand about caffeine and all the ways this drug interacts with various parts of the bodies of both women and men alike .