Many people find a cup of coffee in the morning is what they need to jumpstart their day. Some even need a caffeine fix throughout the day to keep their energy levels high. If you’re pregnant, you might wonder if it's ok to have coffee or any caffeine for that matter. Women have been told for a long time to avoid caffeine if they were expecting. More recently, women are being told a moderate amount is considered safe with precautions, but what does it mean for your baby? A recent study from the University of Rochester Medical Center on caffeine consumption and a baby’s brain development helps answer this question.
Does Caffeine Intake During Pregnancy Affect Your Baby’s Brain?
The short answer to this question is “yes,” but you don’t need to throw out your coffee and tea just yet. According to the study conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center, while changes to brain structure and behavior in children exposed to caffeine while in utero were noticeable, they were very minimal and did not impact intelligence or thinking ability. Also taken into consideration was future behavioral problems resulting from family history and social and economic factors.
What is it about caffeine that affects newborns differently? Unlike adults, babies don’t have the enzyme their tiny, still-developing metabolism needs to break down caffeine. Insights to this study are important because it gives researchers a bio-marker to work with in future research on learning when these changes happen in the brain. Here’s more about what the researchers saw with the changes to the brain.
Caffeine Effects On White Matter On The Brain
Researchers looked at brain scans of over 9,000 nine and ten-year-old children whose mothers had caffeine during their pregnancy. They saw changes in white matter tracts, which coordinate communication between different areas of the brain.
Even though this is a big step forward in learning how caffeine consumption affects brain development, there is still more ground to cover. They hope that this study contributes to developing better guidance for caffeine-consuming moms-to-be. It’s the start of more research to learn when these changes occur and how the effects can vary from trimester to trimester.
If you are going to have coffee, moderation is essential. Current guidelines recommend limiting your caffeine intake to no more than 200 milligrams a day (which is generally equivalent to one 12-ounce cup of coffee). Remember that caffeine can also be hiding in other foods like caffeine and chocolate – not just coffee. The key takeaway from this study is that more research on child development and caffeine exposure is needed and researchers are excited to learn even more.
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Disclaimer: PerkinElmer does not endorse or make recommendations with respect to research, medication, or treatments. All information presented is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
Resources:
Science Direct. Caffeine exposure in utero is associated with structural brain alterations and deleterious neurocognitive outcomes in 9–10 year old children. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028390821000332?via%3Dihub
MedLinePlus. White matter of the brain. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002344.htm#
NCBI. Prenatal Caffeine Assessment: Fetal and Maternal Biomarkers or Self Reported Intake? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2275917/#
American Pregnancy Association. Caffeine Intake During Pregnancy. https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-health-wellness/caffeine-intake-during-pregnancy-946/
