title: Prenatal Caffeine Exposure and Child IQ at Age 5.5 Years: The EDEN Mother-Child Cohort.
abstract: Evidence from animal studies suggests maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy has detrimental effects on subsequent brain development in offspring. However, human data in this area are limited. The aim of this study was to assess whether caffeine intake by women during pregnancy is associated with impaired cognitive development in offspring at age 5.5 years.
  
  
  
  Multivariate modeling was conducted using data of 1083 mother-child pairs from a population-based birth cohort in France followed from pregnancy to age 5.5 years of the children. Measures included an estimate of maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy, children's IQ at age 5.5, and individual and family characteristics.
  
  
  
  Prenatal caffeine exposure was common in the sample (91%) with 12% displaying an intake ≥200 mg/day (high). Multivariable modeling showed a significant negative relationship between caffeine intake and children's IQ at 5.5 years (-.94 [95% confidence interval = -1.70, -.17] full IQ unit per 100 mg daily caffeine intake). In particular, children of mothers consuming ≥200 mg/day were more likely to have borderline or lower IQ compared with children of mothers consuming <100 mg/day (13.5% vs. 7.3%; odds ratio = 2.30, 95% confidence interval = 1.13, 4.69).
  
  
  
  We found an association between caffeine intake during pregnancy and impaired cognitive development in offspring, a result in line with animal data. More epidemiologic and biologically grounded research is needed to determine whether this association is causal. This finding suggests that conservative guidelines regarding the maximum caffeine intake recommended in pregnancy (i.e., 200 mg/day) should be maintained.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Université de Bordeaux, Charles Perrens Hospital, Bordeaux; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Bordeaux School of Public Health (Institut de Santé Publique, d'Epidémiologie et de Développement), Centre INSERM U897, Bordeaux. Electronic address: cedric.galera@u-bordeaux.fr.
authors.forename: Cédric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galéra
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, INSERM UMR1153, Sorbonne Paris Center, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Villejuif, Paris Descartes University; Paris, France; Paris XI University; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jonathan Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Epidemiology, INSERM UMRS 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health Paris, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University of Paris 06, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Waerden
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Université de Bordeaux, Charles Perrens Hospital, Bordeaux.
authors.forename: Manuel-Pierre
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Bouvard
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, INSERM UMR1153, Sorbonne Paris Center, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Villejuif, Paris Descartes University; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lioret
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, INSERM UMR1153, Sorbonne Paris Center, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Villejuif, Paris Descartes University; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, INSERM UMR1153, Sorbonne Paris Center, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Villejuif, Paris Descartes University; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Agostini
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Epidemiology, INSERM UMRS 1136, Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health Paris, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC University of Paris 06, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melchior
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, INSERM UMR1153, Sorbonne Paris Center, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Villejuif, Paris Descartes University; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heude
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002110:Caffeine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000187:drug effects*; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D002110:Caffeine
keywords: Caffeine; Cognition; Cohort studies; IQ, Pregnancy; Prenatal exposure; Preschool age