In a new finding, researchers have revealed that caffeine consumption by mothers during pregnancy do not actually harm the baby’s intelligence. It is really a good news for the pregnant women who craves for the  moderate coffee. Researchers from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus has revealed that caffeine intake by expectant mothers is safe at least when it comes to child’s intelligence. The study reveals that taking caffeine in moderate amounts during pregnancy does not cause any harm to child’s intelligence.

The researchers haven’t found any kind of direct confirmation or regular model that interlinks coffee consumption with baby’s IQ. So, the pregnant mother need not worry about the child’s behavior and intelligence even if you take moderate coffee in small amounts.

Consuming Moderate Caffeine Causes No Risk in Development of Baby

According to the study by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, intake of moderate caffeine during pregnancy does not lead to reduced IQ or increased behavioral problems later in childhood. It seems good for a pregnant woman who are enamored of drinking coffee every day as the study reveals that moderate coffee intake causes no harm to intellectual and intelligence behavior of baby.

Dr. Mark Klebanoff, principal investigator in the Center for Perinatal Research said, “We did not find evidence of an adverse association of maternal pregnancy caffeine consumption with child cognition or behavior at four or seven years of age.”

The team has examined blood samples from 2,197 expectant mothers taken between 1959 and 1974. All the pregnant women have participated in the Collaborative Perinatal Project conducted at multiple sited in the US between 1959 and 1974. They studied caffeine levels at two points during pregnancy and compared those levels to the child’s IQ and behavior at ages 4 and 7. Their team had found no consistent patterns between a mother’s caffeine intake and the development and behavior of their children at those ages.

They have observed that in those 15 years coffee consumption among expectant mothers was highest as very few considered it harmful for baby’s intelligence. Researchers have also checked the levels of paraxanthine, caffeine’s primary metabolite twice during pregnancy and then compared it with the baby’s intelligence at the age of four and again at seven. After complete analyzation of the data, it was clear that there is no interlink between the coffee consumption during pregnancy and IQ of the baby.

Does Coffee Intake During Pregnancy Make Child Obese?

No, it is not true. Consumption of coffee during pregnancy does not induce obesity in the child. Previously, a study was conducted by Dr Klebanoff and Dr Sarah Keim at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in which they found that consumption of coffee in increased amounts had no effect on child’s health and it did not induce obesity. Only 11 percent of the child were diagnosed as obese at the age of four while seven percent were considered obese at the age of seven, but no regular pattern was found between caffeine intake and childhood obesity.

Dr Keim said: ‘Taken as a whole, we consider our results to be reassuring for pregnant women who consume moderate amounts of caffeine or the equivalent to one to two cups of coffee a day.’

Usually, coffee during pregnancy is considered bad for child’s health. Thus, it is recommended to the expectant mother to stop drinking coffee until the child is born. Moreover, some studies have found that coffee affects heartbeat of the baby while some say that it might lead to miscarriage.

Moderation is the key, Klebanoff said. He also added Women should drink no more than about two 8-ounce cups of coffee per day. Caffeine now comes in various forms that didn’t exist when the samples used in the study were collected. Pregnant women should consider how additives and other ingredients in energy drinks, soda and other beverages could affect them.