Caffeine consumed during pregnancy can alter important brain pathways that lead to neurological disorders in children later in life.
- Coffee consumed by pregnant women can lead to attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders in children later in life.
- The fetus lacks the enzyme needed to break down caffeine as it crosses the placenta.
- The WHO recommends that pregnant women consume no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day, or 3 cups of filtered coffee.
Coffee and pregnancy don’t mix. New research reveals that caffeine consumed during pregnancy can alter important brain pathways that could lead to behavioral problems later in life. American researchers at the University of Rochester have analyzed thousands of brain images of children between the ages of nine and ten. Findings revealed changes in brain structure of children exposed to caffeine in utero. The results were published on January 30 in the journal Neuropharmacology.
Attention problems and hyperactivity
The effects of caffeine in utero on the baby are not dramatic but can harm its development. One of the main reasons for the bad effects of caffeine on the child in utero is that a fetus lacks the enzyme needed to break down caffeine as it crosses the placenta. “These are kind of small effects and it doesn’t cause horrible psychiatric disturbances but it does cause minimal but noticeable behavioral issues that should make us consider the long term effects of caffeine consumption during pregnancy.says John Foxe, neuroscientist and principal investigator of the study. I guess the outcome of this study will be a recommendation that drinking coffee while pregnant is probably not such a good idea..”
Attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity are the most notable consequences of a pregnant mother’s coffee consumption on her child. “What makes this unique is that we have a biological pathway that looks different when you consume caffeine during pregnancy.describes Zachary Christensen, first author of the article. Previous studies have shown that children perform differently on IQ tests or have different psychopathology, but this could also be related to demographics. It is therefore difficult to analyze this without a biomarker. This gives us a starting point for future research to try to figure out exactly when the change occurs in the brain..”
No more than 3 cups per day according to WHO
For the study, researchers analyzed brain scans of more than 9,000 participants. They found changes in the way the traces of white matter, those that allow connections between different regions of the brain, are organized in children whose mothers consumed coffee while pregnant. “It is important to emphasize that this is a retrospective study.recalls John Foxe. We rely on mothers to remember how much caffeine they ingested during pregnancy.”
Coffee can also be bad for the mother. It can aggravate common pregnancy ailments such as heartburn and trouble sleeping. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that pregnant women consume no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day, or 3 cups of filtered coffee. “In the long term we hope to develop better guidance for mothers but in the meantime they should ask their doctor if any concerns arise”, concludes Zachary Christensen.
.