A study conducted by researchers at Anhui Medical University in China has revealed that children of mothers who regularly drink tea during pregnancy tend to have better cognitive abilities and motor skills.
اضافة اعلان
Tea and coffee are among the most popular beverages globally. Several studies have shown both positive and negative health effects of consuming tea or coffee, which can be attributed to the various compounds found in these drinks, including caffeine.
Studies on child neurodevelopment have yielded conflicting results. While some have suggested a link between maternal caffeine consumption and reduced cognitive abilities in children, other studies have found no significant impact on children's neurodevelopment.
In this recent study, researchers from Anhui Medical University explored the correlations between tea or coffee consumption during pregnancy and children's cognitive development.
The study involved 1,423 mother-child pairs from the Chinese National Birth Cohort (CNBC). Mothers were asked to provide information about their tea and coffee consumption during the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. A commonly used cognitive assessment scale was employed to determine the cognitive functions of infants aged 0 to 42 months.
Statistical analysis revealed that tea consumption during the second trimester of pregnancy was strongly associated with improved cognitive functions and fine motor skills in infants at 36 months. On the other hand, tea consumption during the third trimester of pregnancy was linked to improvements in general cognitive functions and motor skills.
The results showed that children born to mothers who consumed tea throughout pregnancy scored the highest in both cognitive development and fine and gross motor skills compared to those whose mothers consumed tea during only one trimester.
In contrast to the strong effects of tea consumption, the study found no significant link between coffee consumption during pregnancy and infants' cognitive development. This lack of association was observed despite the fact that coffee typically contains more caffeine than tea, suggesting that factors other than caffeine content may influence neurodevelopment.
Further research with larger sample sizes and controlled experiments is needed to confirm these findings and explore the underlying biological mechanisms behind the observed correlations.
Experts recommend that pregnant women moderate their caffeine intake and follow guidelines that suggest a maximum of 200 mg per day.
-- *New Medical News*
