Maternal Caffeine Intake During Pregnancy and Child Cognition and Behavior at 4 and 7 Years of Age

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Pediatric Neurology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Caffeine consumption during pregnancy is common, yet its long-term effects on child development are not well-documented.
• Limited research exists on the association between in utero caffeine exposure and offspring cognition or behavior in childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between maternal serum paraxanthine levels during pregnancy and offspring intelligence quotient (IQ) and problem behaviors at ages 4 and 7 years.
• To assess potential associations of caffeine metabolism during critical gestational periods with child neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 2,197 mother-child pairs within the Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959-1974).
• Measured maternal serum paraxanthine (caffeine's primary metabolite) at <20 and ≥26 weeks' gestation.
• Analyzed associations with child IQ (linear regression) and problem behaviors (logistic regression), adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• An inverted-J-shaped association was observed between paraxanthine levels at ≥26 weeks' gestation and child IQ at age 7, with a peak effect at 750 µg/L.
• Maternal paraxanthine levels <20 weeks' gestation showed a linear association with increased internalizing behaviors at age 4 (OR=1.3).
• Most other tested associations between paraxanthine levels and child outcomes did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions:

• In utero exposure to caffeine, as measured by serum paraxanthine, did not demonstrate a meaningful association with childhood IQ or problem behaviors across a typical range of exposure.
• While a slight increase in internalizing behaviors was noted with early gestational exposure, the overall findings suggest minimal neurodevelopmental risk for most pregnant women consuming caffeine.