Excessive Prenatal Caffeine Exposure May Impact Liver In Offspring, Rat Study Suggests

reports a study of rats suggests excessive caffeine consumption during pregnancy may damage the liver of offspring. Caffeine “was found to disrupt the development of the liver before and after birth,” which may “be because the babies of the rats exposed to caffeine had lower levels of a liver hormone and higher levels of the stress hormone corticosteroid when they were born.” Among offspring of rats given the equivalent of two to three cups of coffee, the risk for liver disease later in life was elevated. The study was published in the Journal of Endocrinology. https://www.newsweek.com/drinking-coffee-pregnancy-damage-babys-liver-study-rats-1450922