GPs may need to duck for cover when they tell their pregnant patients the evidence now suggests cappuccinos should be off the menu for the next nine months.

Having no caffeine is the safest way for women to help avoid miscarriage, low-birth weight and stillbirth, according to an Icelandic review in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

Professor Jack James of Reykjavik University writes that women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should be advised to cut out caffeine because the evidence suggests there’s no safe level of consumption.

His review of 37 observational studies and 11 meta-analyses finds caffeine-related increased risk was reported with moderate to high levels of consistency for all pregnancy outcomes studied except preterm birth.