Does coffee doesn't stunt growth

Question

The claim that coffee stunts your growth is a common myth, especially told to children or teens. However, according to several medical and scientific sources, there’s no solid evidence that coffee consumption affects height or growth in adolescents or adults. One reliable source is John Hopkins Medicine, which explains that while caffeine can temporarily interfere with calcium absorption, the effect is minimal and does not lead to stunted growth if you have a balanced diet. Here's a direct quote from them: “There’s no evidence that coffee or caffeine stunts a person’s growth. This myth probably began because caffeine can slightly reduce calcium absorption, but not nearly enough to affect growth.”

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-caffeine-question-myths-and-facts

Answer 1

The claim that coffee stunts growth is false, but caffeine consumption can influence  variables that have been shown to have a tentative connection to someones height. Most trusted health sites, such as Harvard Health and Cleveland Clinic, find no significant connection between drinking coffee and stunted growth. Harvard health suggests that this myth may have started because the age at which people begin to drink coffee is around the same time that the growth spurt from puberty begins to taper out. This is correlation, not causation. Another article, this one from the Cleveland Clinic, points out that caffeine is an appetite suppressant, and a lowered appetite can lead to consuming less food. However, the affects of this caffeine-induced lowered appetite are temporary and not strong enough to significantly affects a child's growth spurt. WebMD points out that height during growth spurts is boosted by getting enough sleep, and caffeine keeps you awake, thus if you drink coffee before bed your sleep quality will suffer. To quote them: "Sleep is especially important for children and teenagers to develop properly. Therefore, young people who drink caffeine up to six hours before bedtime are likely to have trouble sleeping. This prevents their body from producing the growth hormone that helps them grow taller."

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-coffee-stunt-growth

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-coffee-really-stunt-your-growth

https://www.webmd.com/diet/does-coffee-stunt-your-growth

Answer 2

The claim that coffee stunts your growth is a simply a myth told to children and teenagers. But according to multiple medical experts and scientific sources, there’s no evidence to support this idea. It turns out this belief is not based on scientific fact, but likely on misunderstanding how caffeine interacts with the body.

A key source, Cleveland Clinic, states that caffeine does not affect height or bone development in children or adults. Dr. Roy Kim, a pediatric endocrinologist, explains that the myth may have come from the fact that caffeine can slightly reduce calcium absorption. However, he clarifies that this effect is so minimal — especially in people with a healthy, balanced diet — that it doesn’t impact growth at all.

This view is supported by Johns Hopkins Medicine, which clearly states

toIn fact, the focus should be more on overall health habits than on caffeine alone. A child or teen’s height is mainly determined by genetics, nutrition, and overall health — not by drinking coffee. According to the National Institutes of Health, getting enough calcium and vitamin D, along with regular exercise, are much more important for bone growth and development than avoiding coffee.

In conclusion, there is no scientific reason to believe that drinking coffee will make you shorter or stop you from reaching your full height potential. This myth has been debunked by trusted health sources, and it’s a good reminder to fact-check popular beliefs using credible medical evidence.

• Cleveland Clinic: Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth?
   

• Johns Hopkins Medicine: Caffeine Myths and Facts
   

• NIH Fact Sheet on Calcium
   

Answer 3

Does coffee doesn't stunt growth

This topic is still being a constant question to everyone. Many adults, parents, siblings, teachers, friends, etc are telling others that drinking coffee or to much coffee can effect or stunt your growth. This is a myth that started around the 20th century and many people keep the myth a constant reminder to everyone who seems to drink coffee. That real question is it true or not...

Through my research there are an intense amount of articles proving that is a myth and/or a misonceptions of other reasonings for some people's "stunt growths" that so happen to also drink coffee. For example There is no scientifically valid evidence to suggest that coffee can stunt a person's growth. It was stated that "This idea may have come from the misconception that coffee causes osteoporosis (a condition that may be associated with loss of height)." (Harvard Health Publishing "Can Coffee Really Stunt Your Growth?") Which clarify's the reasoning for the possible misconceptions others have for the stunt growth theory. Osteoporosis is caused by "Low calcium intake. A lifelong lack of calcium plays a role in the development of osteoporosis. Low calcium intake contributes to diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk of fractures." (Mayo Clinic Osteoporosis). Low calcium is one of the main factors that can cause osteoporosis which isn't truly connected to drinking coffee. Continuing the connection of osteoporosis to coffee drinking it can lower calcium absorption but there is also a simple explanation to what happens when drinking coffee, "Caffeine does produce a small increase in calcium excretion and a very small decrease in calcium absorption. But the body compensates by decreasing calcium excretion 2 to 3 hours later, so the net effect on calcium is unchanged." (.  Nestle "Do you lose Calcium when you drink coffee?"  ) Many doctors and researchers are constantly getting asked this question due to the huge romur effect it has on our society, but doctors are trained professionals that provide solid facts and evidence. Dr. Kim explains in an article that "There isn’t any scientific medical evidence that coffee, in particular, or caffeine, in general, stunts growth. “Caffeine does not meaningfully impact how tall a child gets,”(Cleland Clinic "Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth?"). Providing many reasons to understand how coffee isn't true.

All in all it has been a proven fact that coffee doesn't truly stunt your growth and is only just a myth. WIth many facts and evidence being provided by doctors and other researchers to help provide guidance and information about this topic truly shows the grand overall effect of this myth. This is why this "myth" isn't truly a myth but more of a romour started to prove why kids shouldn't be drinking coffe. 

Answer 4

The claim that coffee stunts growth is false because there is no hard scientific evidence that suggests that it does. Harvard Health Publishing says that the theory may have come about due to the misconception that coffee causes osteoporosis because caffeine can contribute to a lack of calcium yet “the link between coffee consumption and osteoporosis was never confirmed” says Harvard Health Publishing. The belief that caffeine could lead to osteoporosis also led to the assumption that it could cause a growth deficiency which would affect height. Although the correlation between the two is not significant and height loss is more notably connected to developmental condition scoliosis, which caffeine has not a contributing factor in. Harvard Health Publishing says that “for anyone concerned about the effect of coffee consumption on bone health, getting more calcium and vitamin D through diet (or supplements) could readily address this”. There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that coffee stunts growth in any significant way.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-coffee-really-stunt-your-growth

 

Answer 5

The claim that coffee does not stunt growth is true. In a Harvard Health Publishing article, they address the idea that people thought coffee stunted growth due to the misconception that it causes osteoporosis, which, even then, osteoporosis does not commonly make people short. More likely, people who commonly drank coffee simply drank more coffee than calcium-rich drinks like milk. Coffee has been heavily researched, and those researchers found that coffee can reduce the risk of strokes, liver disease, and certain types of cancer, to name a few benefits. 

Answer 6

Indeed, according to an article by the NIH that compiled studies done between the years 1975-2018 on the effects of coffee consumption on children, coffee has never been significantly linked to any sort of direct growth disorder in children. The article does concede that "deleterious effects of caffeine may occur, above all, at moderate and high doses," but these effects include interference in sleep and increased risk of the development of depressive disorders rather than any kind of stunted growth. This does lead to the question of whether coffee indirectly leads to delayed/repressed growth; however, as according to kidshealth.org, "over the long term, a person's growth may be affected by not getting enough sleep," this being due to the simple fact that the hormone responsible for growth in children is primarily released during nocturnal sleep. Seeing as coffee, or rather caffeine in general, can reduce sleeping hours, there is a possible link to growth there.

NIH article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7177467/

Kidhealth.org article: https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/sleep-growth.html#:~:text=A%20single%20night%20of%20no,)%2C%20growth%20hormone%20is%20suppressed.

Answer 7

While this is technically true it doesn't mean that coffee doesn't have other side effects that negatively impact cognitive growth if not regulated. This is also all really unclear as there aren't many studies that willingly pump kids with coffee and see how they grow. There would also be a lot of circumstantial issues of why people who drink a lot of coffee seem short, etc. and not that it's representational of a medical discovery. Like how caffeine can cause anxiety and irritableness is kids and adults alike and therefore could that anxiety be why their growth is stunted? etc.

All this to say that as of now this claim is false, but still take precautions when thinking of your caffeine intake and the intake of others.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7177467/

https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-and-nutrition/coffee-doesnt-stunt-your-growth?TSPD_101_R0=08278c8957ab2000f5e7462ff97755242d33cac7df89f0504200285d55590d7182f8abb5c3169a540829486031143000104159fa24b6999bb624398bb6168487fbf07710d789591233e195dd6d639889bf129a6dda97c51fc7ff8df81831d29c

Answer 8

Coffee doesn’t affect growth because most height development happens before people start drinking it regularly, typically completing by the mid-teen years. Scientifically, there’s no solid evidence linking coffee to stunted growth. Early concerns about coffee causing osteoporosis—which could lead to height loss—were based on weak studies, and later research showed the real issue was low calcium intake, not coffee itself. Plus, coffee has been linked to health benefits like lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and some cancers. So not only does coffee not stunt your growth, it might even contribute to better long-term health. I got my information from Harvard's Health page. 
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-coffee-really-stunt-your-growth#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20scientifically%20valid,associated%20with%20loss%20of%20height).

Answer 9

The claim that coffee stunts your growth is false. This is a myth directed primarily at young children, so it may stem from genuine health concerns that have scientific backing. Caffeine in young children has been observed to both cause and increase the odds of adverse health effects. Per a study published by the National Institute of Health, caffeine consumption in children is linked to alterations of the sleep cycle and of affective states. Alterations in children's sleep cycles "compromises the adequate mental and physical development of children. The ingestion of caffeine is one of the leading factors interfering with these processes". While ingestion of caffeine does not directly cause these adverse effects, it without a doubt contributes indirectly. Caffeine has also been shown to affect children's mental health. This 2020 article from Harvard Health Publishing draws similar conclusions regarding caffeine's role in growth stunting, namely that it doesn't have one. Coffee has a wide variety of health implications, both good and negative, but has not been observed to have a direct impact on growth.

Answer 10

The claim that coffee stunts growth is a myth. According to WebMD, no scientific evidence supports this idea, height is primarily influenced by genetics and nutrition. While caffeine doesn’t affect bone growth, it can disrupt sleep, which is crucial for development. Coffee has both benefits and risks. Research from Harvard Health suggests moderate consumption may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s and type 2 diabetes, but excessive intake can lead to increased heart rate, anxiety, and poor sleep quality. Basically, coffee won’t stunt your growth, but too much can impact sleep and overall health, making moderation key.

Fact or Fiction: Can Caffeine Really Stunt Your Growth?

Can Coffee Really Stunt Your Growth? - Harvard Health