Maternal coffee consumption during pregnancy and pubertal development in children: A cohort study

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Human Development

Background:

• The impact of prenatal maternal coffee consumption on human reproductive health and pubertal timing remains unclear.
• Understanding factors influencing puberty onset is crucial for assessing long-term health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between maternal coffee consumption during early pregnancy and the timing of pubertal development in daughters and sons.
• To determine if high maternal coffee intake affects the age of menarche, Tanner stages, voice breaks, or first ejaculation.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study including 15,819 children (Puberty Cohort) born to mothers in the Danish National Birth Cohort (2000-2003).
• Maternal coffee consumption was self-reported during early second trimester; children's pubertal development was self-recorded from age 11 to 18.
• Adjusted mean differences in attaining pubertal milestones were calculated for daughters and sons based on maternal coffee intake.

Main Results:

• Daughters of mothers consuming 8 or more cups of coffee daily experienced pubertal development approximately 2 months earlier compared to daughters of non-coffee-consuming mothers.
• No significant differences in pubertal development timing were observed in sons based on maternal coffee consumption levels.
• A combined estimate indicated a -2.1 month difference (95% CI: -3.9; -0.3) in earlier pubertal development for daughters exposed to high maternal coffee intake.

Conclusions:

• High maternal coffee consumption (≥8 cups/day) during pregnancy may be associated with earlier pubertal development in daughters.
• Prenatal coffee exposure does not appear to influence the timing of pubertal development in sons.
• Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and explore underlying mechanisms.