Despite previous concerns, new research finds little evidence of a direct causal link between maternal coffee consumption and child developmental problems.
Study: Mendelian randomization analysis of maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy on offspring neurodevelopmental difficulties in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child (MoBa) Cohort Study. Image Credit: MVelishchuk/Shutterstock.com
A recent study published in Psychological Medicine examined a Norwegian parent-child cohort to determine whether maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy impacted fetal neurodevelopment and might be linked to neurodevelopmental difficulties in offspring.
Background
Coffee is a widely consumed beverage around the world, even during pregnancy. Studies show that daily coffee consumption in Scandinavian countries often exceeds an average of 400 mg of caffeine, which equates to four cups per day.
Although coffee consumption is not prohibited for pregnant women, it is known that caffeine metabolism slows down significantly due to the physiological changes that occur during pregnancy.
Additionally, caffeine metabolites such as theophylline and paraxanthine can easily cross the placenta to the fetus, and because caffeine-metabolizing enzymes are underdeveloped in the fetus, accumulation of caffeine and its metabolites can have an impact on fetal brain development.
Results on the impact of caffeine consumption during pregnancy on fetal brain development are also mixed, with some studies showing no correlation. In contrast, others indicate a strong relationship between caffeine and neurodevelopmental difficulties in the fetus.
A major factor in this lack of clarity in results is the confounding effects of factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption, which are often not reported by participants due to the stigma associated with these factors. related to lifestyle during pregnancy.
About the study
In the current study, researchers applied a Mendelian randomization approach, which used genetic variants associated with caffeine metabolism to examine the potential causal relationship between maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental difficulties in the child. fetus.
The Mendelian randomization approach also allows for effective control of confounding variables. The study used the Norwegian Mothers, Fathers and Children Cohort, which provided data on more than a million children and more than 95,000 and 75,000 mothers and fathers, respectively.
The data included blood samples collected from both parents during pregnancy and from mother and child at birth, as well as cleaned and processed genetic data.
Child neurodevelopment was assessed and reported by mothers at different time points of the child’s development up to eight years of age. Various scales involving measures of motor skills, language, social communication, and behavior have been used to assess the child’s neurodevelopment.
Self-reported measures of coffee consumption by mothers and fathers were obtained and average caffeine intake from coffee, tea, and energy drinks was calculated.
In addition, various questionnaires were also administered to obtain information on alcohol consumption, smoking, and socioeconomic variables such as income and education levels.
The researchers conducted principal components analysis to reduce the number of variables involved in the analysis and manage the large number of correlated neurodevelopmental traits.
They then used a linear regression model to analyze the relationship between parental coffee consumption and offspring neurodevelopmental traits.
Analyzes were adjusted for potential confounders such as parental age, smoking, alcohol consumption, and education level.
Mendelian randomization analysis incorporated genetic data to assess the causal relationship between maternal coffee consumption and child neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Study results
Researchers found that increased maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy was associated with several neurodevelopmental difficulties in the offspring. Yet many of these associations disappeared when analyzes were adjusted for potential confounders such as alcohol consumption, smoking, income and education level.
However, after adjusting the analyzes for confounding variables, significant associations were noted between maternal coffee consumption and social communication and motor difficulties at age three and hyperactivity at age five. years.
Mendelian randomization analysis provided no evidence of a causal relationship between increased maternal coffee consumption and neurodevelopmental delays or difficulties in the child.
Furthermore, the results also suggest the possibility of pleiotropy, indicating that other genetic factors could influence the observed patterns.
Genetic analysis also showed that genetic variants linked to coffee consumption were associated with mothers’ alcohol consumption and smoking behavior, further complicating the interpretation of the results.
These observations highlighted the role of confounding factors in this association. They highlighted the need for further studies on various other factors, including coffee components other than caffeine and coffee metabolic pathways.
Conclusions
In summary, although an initial association was observed between maternal coffee consumption and neurodevelopmental difficulties in children, Mendelian randomization analysis suggested that various other confounding variables, including smoking and alcohol consumption, influenced the relationship.
The researchers concluded that there was little evidence of a causal relationship between coffee consumption in parents and neurodevelopmental delays in their offspring.
