Good News for Moms-to-Be: Coffee Doesn’t Harm Baby’s Brain Development
A new scientific study offers reassuring news to expecting mothers: drinking coffee during pregnancy does not negatively impact their child’s cognitive development.
Published in Scientific Reports as part of the China National Birth Cohort (CNBC), the study tracked over 1,400 pregnant women across all three trimesters and later assessed their children’s development at age three using the internationally recognized Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III).
No Cognitive Risk from Coffee
Researchers found no significant association — positive or negative — between maternal coffee consumption and cognitive, language, or motor skill outcomes in toddlers. Whether the mothers drank coffee in the early months or continued into later stages of pregnancy, their children’s scores remained statistically comparable to those of non-coffee drinkers.
This result held true even after adjusting for factors such as maternal age, BMI, income, education level, smoking status, mental health, pregnancy complications, and breastfeeding practices.
Reassurance for Pregnant Coffee Lovers
This study supports previous findings from major cohorts in Norway and Japan, which also found no adverse impact of moderate caffeine intake — particularly from coffee — on child neurodevelopment. While high caffeine consumption is still discouraged, the evidence suggests that moderate coffee drinking (up to 200 mg of caffeine per day) is safe for most pregnancies.
Tea vs. Coffee: A Notable Difference
Interestingly, the same study observed a slight cognitive benefit in children whose mothers consistently drank tea — especially green tea — during the second and third trimesters. This may be due to the presence of antioxidant compounds like catechins in tea, though researchers caution that exact quantities were not measured.
In contrast, coffee showed no such positive or negative effect, leading scientists to conclude that coffee consumption is neutral in terms of early brain development — neither harmful nor beneficial.
Why It Matters
Pregnant women often receive mixed messages about what to avoid, and caffeine is high on that list. Yet this comprehensive analysis using Group-Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM) — a method that tracks changes in consumption habits over time — adds depth to the conversation, showing that coffee need not be completely off-limits.
Limitations and Future Research
While the results are encouraging, the study was conducted in a single region of China, where coffee drinking is relatively uncommon. The amount of caffeine consumed wasn’t precisely measured, and the findings may not be universally applicable.
Still, the research team emphasized that this is one of the most detailed investigations to date examining the entire trajectory of coffee consumption across pregnancy and its effect on childhood cognitive development.
Final Thought
For moms-to-be who enjoy a daily cup of coffee, this study delivers welcome clarity: there’s no evidence that moderate coffee intake harms your baby’s brain development. As always, it’s best to stay within recommended caffeine limits — but if you’ve been wondering whether to give up your morning brew, science now says: you probably don’t have to.
