Caffeine Intake During Pregnancy May Lead To Liver Damage In Babies, Study Says

Consumption of caffeine during pregnancy can affect the liver development of an infant and it can also damage the organ, according to a study. The study stated that children born to mothers who had consumed too much caffeine when the baby was in the womb are at higher risk of developing non- alcoholic fatty liver disease later in life.

It is a well-known fact that pregnancy is associated with several dos and don’ts. And, caffeine is among those items that have been recommended by experts to avoid during this period. It is mainly because this chemical compound that is mostly found in coffee, tea, chocolate and soda could increase the risk of miscarriage and birth defects in newborns, according to the American Pregnancy Association.

The latest research, published in the Journal of Endocrinology last month, focussed on the effects of prenatal caffeine exposure on the liver development of a child. The study stated that caffeine consumption in pregnancy is tied to lower birth weight, impaired liver development, altered growth and stress hormone levels.

For the study, researchers from the Wuhan University in China tested the effects of prenatal caffeine consumption in rats. The rats were divided into two groups – while the first group was given two to three cups of coffee a day, the second was offered six to cups of coffee a day.

At the end of the study, the research team found that offsprings exposed to prenatal caffeine had corticosteroid at birth, higher stress hormone levels and lower liver hormone levels.

“Our results indicate that prenatal caffeine causes an excess of stress hormone activity in the mother, which inhibits IGF-1 activity for liver development before birth. However, compensatory mechanisms do occur after birth to accelerate growth and restore normal liver function, as IGF-1 activity increases and stress hormone signaling decreases. The increased risk of fatty liver disease caused by prenatal caffeine exposure is most likely a consequence of this enhanced, compensatory postnatal IGF-1 activity,” Yinxian Wen, the co-author of the study, said in a statement.

“Our work suggests that prenatal caffeine is not good for babies and although these findings still need to be confirmed in people, I would recommend that women avoid caffeine during pregnancy,” the researcher added.