Drinking Coffee While Pregnant Won't Affect Your Baby's IQ

Caffeine-loving moms-to-be, rejoice! Downing your daily cup of coffee won't have adverse effects on your baby's intellectual development or behaviour

No need to worry when indulging in your morning cup of coffee, expectant mums. A new study claims that drinking coffee while pregnant with a moderate intake of coffee will not harm or negatively affect your unborn baby’s IQ or behaviour.

For years, many have been fearing that caffeine will affect your baby’s iron absorption in utero, a mineral essential to development.

Though tea, soda and coffee are usually prohibited for mums, new research has found that drinking coffee in moderation is perfectly fine.

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, offers reassurance for many pregnant women who don’t want to give up their love for coffee.

The researchers are quick to emphasize, though, that coffee should still be consumed in moderation: about one to two cups per day.

Image source: iStock

How did they arrive at this conclusion?

By analyzing the blood samples of over 2,000 pregnant women collected over a 15-year period, researchers found that caffeine consumption during pregnancy had no negative effects on both IQ and behaviour.

These samples were part of a larger study called the Collaborative Perinatal Project which explored the links between pregnancy and children’s health over the course of 25 years

Previous studies strengthen these findings

This is not the first study that supports caffeine intake during pregnancy as acceptable.

In 2012, a study suggested that mums’ caffeine intake had no bearing on their baby’s sleep habits.

Furthermore, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists confirms that moderate caffeine consumption (about one or two cups of coffee) is safe during pregnancy. They are quick to clarify, however, that the effects of excessive caffeine intake while pregnant remains uncertain.

READ: Foods to avoid during pregnancy

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Written by

Bianchi Mendoza

drinking coffee while pregnant