Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Maternal consumption of coffee and tea during pregnancy and risk of childhood ALL: results from an Australian case–control study

  • Original paper
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To investigate whether maternal coffee and/or tea consumption during the last 6 months of pregnancy was associated with risk of childhood ALL.

Methods

Data on coffee and tea drinking during pregnancy from 337 case mothers and 697 control mothers were analyzed using unconditional multivariable logistic regression. A meta-analysis of our findings with those of previous studies was also conducted.

Results

There was little evidence of an overall association between maternal coffee consumption and risk of ALL: OR 0.89 (95% CI 0.61, 1.30), although there was some suggestion that higher levels of intake might increase the risk in children of non-smoking mothers: OR for 2+ cups/day = 1.44 (95% CI 0.85, 2.42); this was supported by our meta-analysis. Risk was also elevated among cases with chromosomal translocations. The overall OR for maternal tea consumption was 0.82 (95% CI 0.56, 1.18), although the OR for T-cell ALL was 0.21 (95% CI 0.08, 0.51). Among ALL cases with translocations, the ORs for tea consumption tended to be elevated: OR = 1.70 (95% CI 0.79–3.68) for 2+ cups/day.

Conclusions

The observed increased risk associated with coffee and tea consumption may be confined to ALL with translocations. These associations should be explored further in large international consortia.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Thompson JR, FitzGerald P, Willoughby ML, Armstrong BK (2001) Maternal folate supplementation in pregnancy and protection against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in childhood: a case-control study. Lancet 358:1935–1940

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Jensen CD, Block G, Buffler P et al (2004) Maternal dietary risk factors in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (United States). Cancer Causes Control 15:559–570

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Kwan ML, Block G, Selvin S, Month S, Buffler PA (2004) Food consumption by children and the risk of childhood acute leukemia. Am J Epidemiol 160:1098–1107

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Peters JM, Preston-Martin S, London SJ et al (1994) Processed meats and risk of childhood leukemia (California, USA). Cancer Causes Control 5:195–202

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Sarasua S, Savitz DA (1994) Cured and broiled meat consumption in relation to childhood cancer: Denver, Colorado (United States) [see comment]. Cancer Causes Control 5:141–148

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Menegaux F, Steffen C, Bellec S et al (2005) Maternal coffee and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, parental smoking and risk of childhood acute leukaemia. Cancer Detect Prev 29:487–493

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Menegaux F, Ripert M, Hemon D, Clavel J (2007) Maternal alcohol and coffee drinking, parental smoking and childhood leukaemia: a French population-based case-control study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 21:293–299

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Clavel J, Bellec S, Rebouissou S et al (2005) Childhood leukaemia, polymorphisms of metabolism enzyme genes, and interactions with maternal tobacco, coffee and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Eur J Cancer Prev 14:531–540

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Petridou E, Trichopoulos D, Kalapothaki V et al (1997) The risk profile of childhood leukaemia in Greece: a nationwide case- control study. Br J Cancer 76:1241–1247

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Ross JA, Potter JD, Reaman GH, Pendergrass TW, Robison LL (1996) Maternal exposure to potential inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase II and infant leukemia (United States): a report from the children’s cancer group. Cancer Causes Control 7:581–590

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Bailey H, Milne E, de Klerk N et al (2010) Representativeness of child controls recruited by random digit dialing. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 24:293–302

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Bailey HD, Milne E, de Klerk NH et al (In press) Exposure to house painting and the use of floor treatments and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Int J Cancer. doi:10.1002/ijc.25572

  13. Bailey HD, Armstrong BK, de Klerk NH et al (2010) Exposure to diagnostic radiological procedures and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 19:2897–2909

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Bailey HD, Milne E, de Klerk NH et al (In press) Exposure to professional pest control treatments and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Int J Cancer. doi:10.1002/ijc.25769

  15. Milne E, Royle JA, de Klerk NH et al (2009) Fetal growth and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: results from an Australian case-control study. Am J Epidemiol 170:221–228

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Milne E, Royle JA, Miller M et al (2009) Maternal folate and other vitamin supplementation during pregnancy and risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the offspring. Int J Cancer 126:2690–2699

    Google Scholar 

  17. Smith AM, Baghurst KI (1992) Public-health implications of dietary differences between social-status and occupational category groups. J Epidemiol Community Health 46:409–416

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Fleiss JL (1993) The statistical basis of meta-analysis. Stat Methods Med Res 2:121–145

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Cordier S, Iglesias MJ, Le Goaster C et al (1994) Incidence and risk factors for childhood brain tumors in the Ile de France. Int J Cancer 59:776–782

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Plichart M, Menegaux F, Lacour B et al (2008) Parental smoking, maternal alcohol, coffee and tea consumption during pregnancy and childhood malignant central nervous system tumours: the ESCALE study (SFCE). Eur J Cancer Prev 17:376–383

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006) Australian social trends (cat. no. 4102.0) Australian Bureau of Statistics

  22. Sarkaria JN, Busby EC, Tibbetts RS et al (1999) Inhibition of ATM and ATR kinase activities by the radiosensitizing agent, caffeine. Cancer Res 59:4375–4382

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Carvalho H, Ortolan TG, dePaula T et al (2008) Sustained activation of p53 in confluent nucleotide excision repair-deficient cells resistant to ultraviolet-induced apoptosis. DNA Repair (Amst) 7:922–931

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Do TN, Ucisik-Akkaya E, Davis CF, Morrison BA, Dorak MT (2009) TP53 R72P and MDM2 SNP309 polymorphisms in modification of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia susceptibility. Cancer Genet Cytogenet 195:31–36

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Gumy-Pause F, Wacker P, Maillet P, Betts DR, Sappino AP (2006) ATM promoter analysis in childhood lymphoid malignancies: a brief communication. Leuk Res 30:335–337

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Deweese JE, Osheroff N (2009) The DNA cleavage reaction of topoisomerase II: wolf in sheep’s clothing. Nucleic Acids Res 37:738–748

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Brown CR, Jacob P 3rd, Wilson M, Benowitz NL (1988) Changes in rate and pattern of caffeine metabolism after cigarette abstinence. Clin Pharmacol Ther 43:488–491

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Barone JJ, Roberts HR (1996) Caffeine consumption. Food Chem Toxicol 34:119–129

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Lin YL, Tsai SH, Lin-Shiau SY, Ho CT, Lin JK (1999) Theaflavin-3, 3’-digallate from black tea blocks the nitric oxide synthase by down-regulating the activation of NF-kappaB in macrophages. Eur J Pharmacol 367:379–388

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Yang CS, Lambert JD, Sang S (2009) Antioxidative and anti-carcinogenic activities of tea polyphenols. Arch Toxicol 83:11–21

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Liang YC, Chen YC, Lin YL et al (1999) Suppression of extracellular signals and cell proliferation by the black tea polyphenol, theaflavin-3, 3’-digallate. Carcinogenesis 20:733–736

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (2007) NUTTAB 2006—Australian food composition tables. FSANZ, Canberra

    Google Scholar 

  33. Hubner RA, Houlston RS (2009) Folate and colorectal cancer prevention. Br J Cancer 100:233–239

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Eguchi-Ishimae M, Eguchi M, Kempski H, Greaves M (2008) NOTCH1 mutation can be an early, prenatal genetic event in T-ALL. Blood 111:376–378

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Ford AM, PombodeOliveira MS, McCarthy KP et al (1997) Monoclonal origin of concordant T-cell malignancy in identical twins. Blood 89:281–285

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Fischer S, Mann G, Konrad M et al (2007) Screening for leukemia- and clone-specific markers at birth in children with T-cell precursor ALL suggests a predominantly postnatal origin. Blood 110:3036–3038

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This was supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (Grant ID 254539); National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Award and Cancer Council Western Australia Research Fellowship (to LM); National Health and Medical Research Council PhD Scholarship (to HB); National Health and Medical Research Council Fellowship and Program Grant (to CB); and the Cancer Council Western Australia Usher Vacation Scholarship (to LB).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, PO Box 855, West Perth, WA, 6872, Australia

    Elizabeth Milne, Jill A. Royle, Lisa C. Bennett, Nicholas H. de Klerk, Helen D. Bailey & Carol Bower

  2. Nutrition and Dietetics Program, School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia

    Margaret Miller

  3. Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia

    John Attia

  4. Department of Medicine, John Hunter Hospital and Hunter Medical Research Institute, Lookout Road, New Lambton, NSW, Australia

    John Attia

  5. Hunter Medical Research Institute, The School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle and the Hunter Area Pathology Service, HNEHealth, Newcastle, NSW, 2305, Australia

    Rodney J. Scott

  6. Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Maria Kirby

  7. Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Bruce K. Armstrong

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Milne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jill A. Royle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lisa C. Bennett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nicholas H. de Klerk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Helen D. Bailey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Carol Bower
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Margaret Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. John Attia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Rodney J. Scott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Maria Kirby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Bruce K. Armstrong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth Milne.

Additional information

The Aus-ALL consortium conducted the study and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (TICHR), University of Western Australia, was the coordinating center. Bruce Armstrong (Sydney School of Public Health), Elizabeth Milne (TICHR), Frank van Bockxmeer (Royal Perth Hospital), Michelle Haber (Children’s Cancer Institute Australia), Rodney Scott (University of Newcastle), John Attia (University of Newcastle), Murray Norris (Children’s Cancer Institute Australia), Carol Bower (TICHR), Nicholas de Klerk (TICHR), Lin Fritschi (WA Institute for Medical Research), Ursula Kees (TICHR), Margaret Miller (Edith Cowan University), and Judith Thompson (WA Cancer Registry) were the research investigators, and Helen Bailey (TICHR) was the project coordinator. The clinical investigators were Frank Alvaro (John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle); Catherine Cole (Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth); Luciano Dalla Pozza (Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney); John Daubenton (Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart); Peter Downie (Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne); Lianne Lockwood, (Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane); Maria Kirby (Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide); Glenn Marshall (Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sydney); Elizabeth Smibert (Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne); Ram Suppiah, (previously Mater Children’s Hospital, Brisbane).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Milne, E., Royle, J.A., Bennett, L.C. et al. Maternal consumption of coffee and tea during pregnancy and risk of childhood ALL: results from an Australian case–control study. Cancer Causes Control 22, 207–218 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-010-9688-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-010-9688-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation