Drinking coffee while pregnant has no link to baby developmental issues, University of Queensland study finds

Pregnant women have always been told to limit their intake of coffee, which for many, is a fundamental to functioning throughout the day.

But a cup of coffee might not be as harmful as previously thought.

A University of Queensland study found no link between drinking coffee during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental difficulties in children.

Scientists, including Dr Gunn-Helen Moen, analysed genetic data from 46,000 families in Norway, some of the world’s biggest coffee drinkers.

“Scandinavians are some of the biggest coffee consumers in the world, drinking at least four cups a day, with little stigma about drinking coffee during pregnancy,” Dr Moen said.

“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 Moen said the UQ study had managed to isolate the impact of coffee from other factors like alcohol, smoking and poor diet.

Previous studies have struggled to do that.

“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,” she said.

While the findings are good news for coffee lovers, Dr Moen and her team still advise caution.

Currently in Australia, pregnant and breastfeeding women are advised to keep their daily caffeine intake to below 200 milligrams, the equivalent to one cup of strong espresso style coffee.