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Prenatal caffeine exposure: association with neurodevelopmental outcomes in 9- to 11-year-old children

Rui Zhang1, Peter Manza1, Nora D Volkow1,2

  • 1Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|July 28, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal caffeine exposure, even at recommended doses, is linked to increased behavioral issues and altered brain structure in children. Further research is needed to determine if the "safe" caffeine limit during pregnancy requires adjustment.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Caffeine is widely consumed, including during pregnancy.
  • The impact of prenatal caffeine exposure on child development remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between prenatal caffeine exposure and child developmental outcomes.
  • To explore dose-dependent effects of caffeine exposure on behavior and brain structure.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (n=11,875 children aged 9-11).
  • Analyzed associations between prenatal caffeine exposure levels and various child outcomes.
  • Included birth outcomes, physical health, behavior, cognition, substance use, and brain structure.

Main Results:

  • Prenatal caffeine exposure, including recommended doses, correlated with increased externalizing behavior problems.
  • Higher caffeine intake was linked to greater BMI and soda consumption.
  • Observed brain structural changes included altered cortical thickness and sulcal depth.
  • Effect sizes for externalizing problems were comparable to those of prenatal alcohol and cannabis exposure.

Conclusions:

  • The "safe" caffeine dose during pregnancy warrants further investigation for clinical relevance and potential adjustment.
  • Prenatal caffeine use should be considered as a covariate in studies of prenatal drug exposure due to its high prevalence.
Abstract

Keywords:
ABCD studyPrenatal caffeine exposurebrain structural developmentchildhood obesitychildhood outcomespsychopathology

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