New study claims moderate coffee while pregnant does not harm baby's IQWashington DC, Nov 21(AZINS) If you were worried about giving up joe during pregnancy, then relax. A new study has revealed that women drinking and eating moderate amounts of caffeine during pregnancy are not harming their child's intelligence.

The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital research, one of the first studies to focus on how in utero caffeine exposure affects a child's future intelligence (IQ) and behaviour later in childhood, found caffeine did not lead to a reduced IQ or increased behavioural problems. Researchers did not find evidence of an adverse association of maternal pregnancy caffeine consumption with child cognition or behaviour at four or seven years of age, said principal investigator Mark A Klebanoff.

Co-author Sarah Keim said that taken as a whole, they consider their results to be reassuring for pregnant women who consume moderate amounts of caffeine or the equivalent to one or two cups of coffee per day. The study appears in American Journal of Epidemiology.