Beware of caffeine in the womb

Original title: Beware of caffeine in the womb

How does the coffee consumed during pregnancy affect the fetus? Recently, a retrospective study published in the journal Neuropharmacology showed that these caffeines may change important brain pathways in infants, and infants are at risk of behavioral problems during future development.

Earlier research pointed out that the fetus does not have the enzymes needed to break down caffeine when it crosses the placenta.

In the study, neuroscientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center scanned the brains of more than 9,000 children aged 9-10.

Although these changes are very small and do not cause serious mental illness, and the impact can be described as minimal, the researchers pointed out that people should still pay attention to the long-term effects of caffeine intake by pregnant women.

The research team further tracked the children whose brain structure has changed and observed aggravation of behavioral problems among them, such as difficulty concentrating and hyperactivity.

"Previous research has more to correlate these performances with IQ and mental illness.

The uniqueness of the newly published study is that the researchers discovered a different biological pathway in the brains of children exposed to caffeine during pregnancy.

However, the researchers also said that it is not yet clear at which stage of pregnancy caffeine has an effect on brain development, nor is it sure about the specific cycle in which these effects occur.

(This article is reprinted by "Food Science Network", and the article is from China Science News.