Drinking coffee during pregnancy may not be bad for a baby’s brain development, according to a new Australian study.
The study led by the University of Queensland has found no link between coffee consumption and any difficulties in a child’s brain development.
However researchers are still advising expectant mothers to continue following medical guidelines on caffeine intake.
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Scientists led an in-depth genetic data analysis from tens of thousands of families in Norway and conducted questionnaires about the parents’ coffee consumption before and during pregnancy.
The participants also answered questions about their child’s development until the age of eight, including their social, motor and language skills.
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.
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Caffeine accumulation was thought to impact the developing foetal brain, but the University of Queensland’s Dr Gunn-Helen Moen said previous observational studies couldn’t account for other environmental factors such as alcohol, cigarette smoke or poor diet.
“We used a method called Mendelian randomisation which uses genetic variants that predict coffee drinking behaviour and can separate out the effect of different factors during pregnancy,” Moen said.
“It mimics a randomised controlled trial without subjecting pregnant mothers and their babies to any ill effects.
“The benefit of this method is the effects of caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes and diet can be separated in the data, so we can look solely at the impact of caffeine on the pregnancy.”
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