Mums-to-be told to lay off the liquorice

Published on Wednesday 7 October 2009 10:11

EATING liquorice during pregnancy could damage the intelligence of unborn children, Edinburgh University scientists have found.

A study of eight-year-olds whose mothers had eaten large quantities of liquorice found they did not perform as well as others in tests,

were more likely to have shorter attention spans and be more prone to disruptive behaviour.

It is thought a compound in liquorice called glycyrrhizin may allow more stress hormones – thought to affect brain development – to pass to the child in the womb.

Professor Jonathan Seckl of Edinburgh University said: "This shows that eating liquorice during pregnancy may affect a child's behaviour or IQ."