Liquorice during pregnancy harmful

Eating large amounts of liquorice during pregnancy could have a detrimental impact on a child's intelligence and behaviour, say European researchers who studied 8-year-old children in Finland, where many young women consume liquorice.

The study found that children born to women who ate a lot of liquorice while pregnant scored lower on tests than other youngsters, BBC News reported.

A component in liquorice called glycyrrhizin may enable stress hormones to cross through the placenta from mother to child. These hormones may affect foetal brain development, and have been linked to behavioural disorders, the researchers said.

The findings show "that eating liquorice during pregnancy may affect a child's behaviour or IQ, and suggests the importance of the placenta in preventing stress hormones that may affect cognitive development getting through to the baby," said Professor Jonathan Seckl, of Edinburgh University's Centre for Cardiovascular Science, BBC News reported.

The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. – (HealthDayNews, October, 2009)

Read more:
Your job could hurt your baby