A University of Queensland-led study has failed to find any strong links between drinking coffee during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental difficulties in children, but researchers are advising expectant mothers to continue following medical guidelines on caffeine consumption. Dr. Gunn-Helen Moen and PhD student Shannon D'Urso from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) led an in-depth genetic analysis of data from tens of thousands of families in Norway.
Scandinavians are some of the biggest coffee consumers in the world, drinking at least 4 cups a day, with little stigma about drinking coffee during pregnancy. Our study used genetic data from mothers, fathers and babies as well as questionnaires about the parents' coffee consumption before and during pregnancy. The participants also answered questions about their child's development until the age of 8, including their social, motor, and language skills.
" Our analysis found no link between coffee consumption during pregnancy and children's neurodevelopmental difficulties." Dr. Gunn-Helen Moen, UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience The researchers said physiological changes during pregnancy prevent caffeine breaking down easily and it can cross the placenta and reach the foetus, where there are no enzymes to metabolise it.
Caffeine accumulation was thought to impact the developing foetal brain, but Dr Moen said previous observational studies couldn't account for other environmental factors such as alcohol, cigarette sm.