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

Coffee does not stunt your growth. After several studies, it has been scientifically proven that coffee does not stunt your growth. The reason this myth came to be was the idea that coffee causes osteoporosis ( a diseases that stunts height growth), but it has been proved that coffee does not cause osteoporosis, and osteoporosis doesn't necessarily make you short. Coffee actually has many health benefits, and has been cleared from being any risk to your health.

My source: 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 2

While your claim effectively outlines there’s no research validating caffeine stunts growth, it’s intresting to note the background behind the myth. Looking deeper into the roots of this misconception, found is a deep history of caffeine being associated with defiance against religious beliefs. There are certainly modern claims to why children should avoid caffeine, but the issue stems far beyond our present time. In religious terms coffee was condemned; however, propaganda against the consumption of caffeine also contributed to its infamous presence in health culture. The article linked bellow goes to note a series of campaigns that featured caffeine as detrimental, yet held no scientific evidence. Overall, your claim is correct and can be traced back to a lineage of various factors working against caffeine’s popularity. 

https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-and-nutrition/coffee-doesnt-stunt-your-growth

Answer 3

I agree with your claim that coffee does not stunt growth. I found two articles, one of which was provided from Harvard Health Publishing, and the other, a WebMD article medically reviewed by Christine Mikstas, RD, LD. In both of these articles there was a consensus that coffee in itself does not directly stunt growth. Each article points out that caffeine can impact sleep and sleep may impact your growth in childhood and adolescence, however it is emphasized that coffee does not make any direct impact on growth. Coffee consumption only makes a difference in height if you drink so much coffee that you cannot sleep from an excessive amount of caffeine.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-coffee-really-stunt-your-growth#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20scientifically%20valid,associated%20with%20loss%20of%20height).

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

Answer 4

I think this is a great claim with some good evidence and arguments. Also doing a little of my own research a lot of articles said it was a myth and a Harvad study says that most of the growth already happens before most people even start to drink coffee.  "that most growth occurs well before most people are drinking coffee regularly. By the time we're in our teens, most people have almost reached their full height. For girls, this is usually by age 15 to 17; for boys, it's a bit later. You can't "undo" bone growth once it's complete."

Answer 5

I agree with you that this is a myth, and you did a thorough check with reliable resources, including Hopkins medicine which is a common medical website. According to Healthline, there is simply no evidence of any effect from coffee related to women's bone health, "One study tracked 81 women aged 12–18 for six years. It found no difference in bone health between those who had the highest daily caffeine intake, compared to those with the lowest." I was not able to find any other information regarding scientific studies that prove that coffee is related to stunt growth, so I agree that coffee does NOT stunt your growth.

Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth? Facts vs Myths

Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth?

Answer 6

There is no correlation between caffeine and whether it stunts your growth. Harvard Health Publishing states, " there is no scientifically valid evidence to suggest that coffee can stunt as person's growth. This idea may have come from the misconception that coffee causes osteoporosis (a condition that may be associated with loss of height.)" It has been proving that there are other factors do stunt your growth but coffee is not one of them. An article from Web MD lists the things that can stunt your growth as " poor nutrition, hormone disorders, sleep and poor sanitation."

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 7

You are correct that coffee does not stunt growth. As quoted from harvard health, "This idea may have come from the misconception that coffee causes osteoporosis (a condition that may be associated with loss of height)." The phrase has now just become a superstition with no factual evidence and was based off a mistake

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

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

Answer 8

The belief that coffee stunts growth is a persistent myth, particularly aimed at children and adolescents. However, scientific research does not support this claim. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, while caffeine can slightly reduce calcium absorption, the effect is minimal and does not lead to stunted growth, especially when a balanced diet is maintained. They state, “There’s no evidence that coffee or caffeine stunts a person’s growth” .​

Similarly, Harvard Health Publishing notes that the idea may have originated from misconceptions linking coffee to osteoporosis, a condition associated with bone density loss. However, they clarify that coffee does not cause osteoporosis and that most growth occurs before individuals regularly consume coffee .​Live Science+3Harvard Health+3Coffee Geek+3

In summary, current medical consensus indicates that moderate coffee consumption does not impede growth. Factors such as genetics, nutrition, and overall health play more significant roles in determining height.

Answer 9

The widely accepted belief that coffee stunts growth is a fallacy which was disproven by doctors and scientists a long time ago. Despite the fact that parents and teachers frequently bring this theory up as an argument, it was not developed through science. Rather, its genesis dates back to the early 20th century as part of an advertising campaign initiated by coffee substitute Postum inventor C.W. Post. Post's advertising deceptively suggested that coffee was poisonous to children and would stunt their growth—perceptions designed to promote his own product, and having nothing to do with scientific reality (Snopes, 2000).

Respected medical centers directly contradict such a claim. The Cleveland Clinic (2021) simply states that coffee does not stunt growth, explaining that while caffeine may slightly impede calcium absorption, the effect is minimal and can easily be overcome by a balanced diet. Similarly, Harvard Health Publishing (2018) affirms that no scientifically valid evidence exists to suggest that coffee has an effect on bone development or height. These results are supported by peer-reviewed research, including a six-year study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that followed 81 adolescent girls and observed no difference in bone density or growth in girls who consumed caffeine and girls who did not consume caffeine (Lloyd et al., 1998).

Further, Healthline (2022) also emphasizes that the minimal influence that caffeine places on calcium retention is not comparable to halted growth when nutrition is adequate. No significant medical body supports the premise that coffee stops human growth. Lastly, the myth that coffee reduces your height is not scientifically supported and originated as a business reason rather than health issues.

Sources:

Cleveland Clinic. (2021, September 22). Does coffee stunt your growth? https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-coffee-stunt-your-growth/

Harvard Health Publishing. (2018, June 19). Does coffee stunt your growth? https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/does-coffee-stunt-your-growth-2018061914079

Healthline. (2022, March 9). Does coffee stunt your growth? Debunking the myth. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/does-coffee-stunt-your-growth

Lloyd, T., Rollings, N., Andon, M. B., & Demers, L. M. (1998). Caffeine intake and bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 68(3), 574–578. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/68/3/574/4666212

Snopes. (2000). Did Postum invent the myth that coffee stunts your growth? https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/postum-coffee-stunts-growth/

Answer 10

I agree with your claim that coffee does not directly affect people height or cause them to shrink. Looking at the John Hopkins Medicine link I was able to see how reliable the source is and read into what exactly the connection is between coffee and height. Harvard Health also mentions how coffee can interfere with the absorption of calcium in our bodies but the effect is very minimal and can not cause someones height to be tampered with. A great point that was made was that during a humans most developmental and growing stages, they most likely aren't drinking coffee. Most people stop growing in their late teens and by then they start being introduced to coffee. It was also mentioned how it isn't possible for a humans bones to decrease in growth after fully developing. The claim that coffee stunts your growth is exaggerated and can mislead people into choosing not to drink it. Although coffee can lead to increased anxiety, heartburn, and sometimes urine problems, it does not make you shrink. Some things that actually have been proven to lead to height loss are osteoporosis, scoliosis, age, and kyphosis. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-coffee-really-stunt-your-growth#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20scientifically%20valid,associated%20with%20loss%20of%20height). 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/coffee-and-health/faq-20058339