Just days after scientists contradicted the Government's advice to mothers about not drinking, saying light drinking during pregnancy makes children more intelligent and better behaved, a study to be published in the British Medical Journal, finds pregnant women who drink more than two cups of coffee or caffeine intake of more than 200mg a day, are at risk of giving birth to dangerously underweight or smaller babies.

Twenty-five hundred pregnant women were asked to respond to a questionnaire about their daily caffeine intake. Scientists then compared this with the birth weight of the baby, according to the mothers' weight and ethnic background. It was found that excessive caffeine in pregnant women not only leads to reduced birth weight, but such babies are also more likely to die early or suffer from developmental problems. In put it plainly, if you are small for gestational age, it is more likely that you will suffer from intellectual impairment and hyperactivity in later life. As well, it is said too much caffeine during pregnancy, ups the risk of suffering a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. Pat O'Brien, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says women should abstain from caffeine during the first 12-weeks of pregnancy, which is when most miscarriages occur.

Acting on the advice from an independent committee on toxicity and after looking at new research from Leeds and Leicester universities, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has accordingly lowered caffeine limits from 300-mg a day to just 200-mg per day, equating to two mugs of instant coffee, two cups of brewed coffee, four cups of tea, five cans of cola, three energy drinks or five bars of chocolate. So, a small café latte from Starbucks at 240-mg, means you have far exceeded the new daily limit for caffeine intake.

Of all of western Europe, Britain is said to have the second worst rate for low birth weight babies. In 2006, it was found that out of 10000 babies, 78 of weighed in at less than 5lb 8oz at birth, compared to 67 in 1989, with approximately 40,000 in Britain.

The new FSA guidelines advise women to limit themselves to three or four cups of tea a day, including watching their cola, chocolate and energy drinks intake, as all of them contain caffeine.