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 statement that coffee doesn't stunt height is true. I was looking at an article from the Harvard Health Medical School, and the article brought up the myth mentioned about how coffee is a cause in stunting growth. However, they debunked this myth by explaining how the myth originated from a misconception that coffee causes osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition that may potentially associated with height loss. However, the Harvard Health is saying how coffee isn't a cause of osteoporosis in general and even if it was, osteoporosis doesn't routinely make humans short. Looking at the credibility of Harvard Health, it has been known that it is a credible source for over 200 years according to New York Times Licensing. It is deemed that it is one of the most prestigious and reputable trusted sources of medical education in the world. Harvard Health is credible along with their information about osteoporosis and how coffee doesn't even contain it. In another article by McGill University, Roy Kim, a pediatric endocrinologist, says that caffeine doesn't meaning impact how tall a child gets. Roy Kim is a credible pediatric endocrinologist as well, as he has had 25 years of experience according to Health Grades, and graduated from the University of North Carolina. The myth that coffee stunts growth is false and proves no credibility. 

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

https://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-roy-kim-ybct6

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://nytlicensing.com/content/harvard-health-publishing/#:~:text=For%20more%20than%20200%20years,that%20can%20create%20transformational%20impact.

Comments

Nice job compiling multiple strong sources and writing up a thorough fact-check.

Answer 2

You make a solid case, and the medical consensus definitely agrees that coffee doesn’t stunt growth. But I think it’s worth questioning how this myth became so entrenched in the first place—was it only about calcium absorption? Some researchers argue that the myth may have been fueled by concerns over sleep disruption in kids and teens, which can indirectly affect development. According to the Sleep Foundation, caffeine can delay sleep onset and reduce deep sleep—both of which are crucial for growth hormone release during adolescence. So while coffee might not directly shrink anyone, the timing and amount of caffeine in a teen’s routine still matters for healthy development. It might be more accurate to say “Coffee doesn’t stunt growth—but poor sleep from too much caffeine might.”

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

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/caffeine-and-sleep

Comments

This is such a thoughtful consideration, and I like that you back it up with Harvard and Sleep Foundation sources. You're right that the focus can't just be on bone growth or calcium—it's typically the secondary effects of caffeine that get overlooked. I would also say that besides sleep disturbance, excessive caffeine consumption in young individuals has also been associated with heightened anxiety and changed responses to stress, which may also affect general health and development.

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I agree with you, while coffee doesn’t directly stunt growth, the myth may have stemmed from concerns about sleep disruption. Research shows that caffeine can delay sleep and reduce deep sleep, which is important for growth hormone release during adolescence. So while coffee itself isn’t the problem, poor sleep from too much caffeine could indirectly affect healthy development.

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This a very good way to put this claim. This is a very over exaggerated claim that people have said for years and you made a good claim as to why. I like how you got a good source as to why people may think this.

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I agree with this. This response was very helpful and clearly explained the myth about coffee stunting growth. I appreciated how you included credible sources like Johns Hopkins Medicine and Harvard Health Publishing to back up the information. It made it easy to trust what you were saying. I also liked how you explained why the myth might have started in the first place, which gave even more context. Overall, your fact-check was clear, concise, and made it much easier to understand the truth about coffee and growth. Great work!

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I agree with you. Many drinks and foods that young people consume contain caffeine and can cause a lack of sleep for most. Sleep is very important for not just growth but development in general. Sleep helps your brain take in information and you body get rest to be prepared for the next day. Without sleep, it can cause many disadvantages to a person with not just their body but also their mood. That is why coffee is not the main reason for a stunt in growth, but the lack of sleep due to the caffeine that is consumed by the person.

Answer 3

It is true that coffee doesn't stunt your growth, and it comes from a misleading myth that coffee causes osteoporosis (which is also not true), but coffee doesn't necessarily have great health benefits. Based off of WebMD, there is no concrete evidence that shows that coffee leads to stunted growth. However, coffee can impact someone's sleep, alertness, focus, and heart rate.

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

Comments

Great job! You debunked the myth about coffee stunting growth using WebMD. However, maybe consider cross-referencing with sources like the NIH or WHO for some stronger evidence. Also, I think it would be helpful to mention how coffee's effects on sleep and heart rate can vary based on individual factors like caffeine tolerance and genetics.

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You did a really good job of stating your claim and using another source to debunk this myth. However, I think it would be really helpful if you referenced WebMD by pulling out some quotes that support your claim. Also, I think it would be beneficial if you went into more detail about how you came to the conclusion of your claim that coffee stunts your growth.

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You bring up a solid point that coffee doesn’t stunt growth and that the myth may be connected to older concerns about osteoporosis. I appreciate that you referenced WebMD—it's a decent general resource—but it’s worth noting that it's more of a health overview site than a deep medical authority. It often summarizes mainstream views without diving into the original studies, so it’s important to trace their claims back to primary sources when possible.

Also, you mention that coffee doesn’t necessarily have great health benefits, which I’d push back on a bit. There's actually growing research from places like Harvard Health and the Mayo Clinic suggesting moderate coffee consumption may be linked to benefits like reduced risk of Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, and certain liver diseases. Of course, that doesn’t mean coffee is a health drink, but it’s more nuanced than just saying it lacks benefits.

I think you made a great point about coffee’s effect on sleep and heart rate—that’s real, especially for people sensitive to caffeine. But I’d also say that those are effects of caffeine in general, not coffee specifically. So maybe the bigger question is about how much and when caffeine is consumed, not whether coffee is inherently harmful.

Would love to know if you think those potential health benefits outweigh the sleep/focus trade-offs or if it really just depends on the person.

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Great job of clearing up that myth about coffee stunting growth. To be honest, I've believed it my whole life because that's what my mom has always told me. It was helpful how you pointed out that the idea came from older misconceptions about osteoporosis. I also liked how you acknowledged the downsides as well. Sleep and heart rate issues are definitely factors to consider and the lack of strong evidence that connected it to growth problems. I would've liked to see a few more sources just to have more credible information to support your stance but I thought this was great overall!

Answer 4

According to the research article I found, Coffee does not stunt growth and is seen to be a myth. There is no scientifically valid data that shows that there is a connection between stunted growth amongst coffee drinkers.

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

Comments

While this is a valid answer, having another source to back up your claim would be helpful so that way its multidimensional and irrefutable. However, being a Harvard article it already certifies itself. Good job!

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Very good comment, It's interesting how these kinds of beliefs can persist for so long without solid scientific backing. While the broad conclusion might be that coffee doesn't directly stunt growth, it might be worth considering if very high caffeine intake could indirectly impact growth? Just a thought. Very good find!

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This is a very good observation that you have made with consuming coffee but I believe you should add more text to your argument and dive a little deeper on why it doesn't and having a couple of sources to back up your argument will be helpful and I think looking at doctors and what they have said about coffee and young adults could help you back up this argument. Also including some sentences from the article could help you create a better stance and so people know that you are correct. And yes after what I have found coffee doesn't stunt your growth.

Answer 5

The myth that coffee stunts your growth is not true. According to Harvard Health Publishing, although many people believe the misconception that coffee causes osteoporosis, no scientific evidence actually proves that coffee stunts a person's growth. A pediatric endocrinologist, Roy Kim, MD, also claims that caffeine doesn't impact growth. However, they also say caffeine affects sleep and attention. Therefore, although caffeine itself is not harmful to growth, in broad terms, it may be a growth-inhibiting factor in terms of its involvement in sleep and attention problems that are crucial to children's growth.

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

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

Comments

I think your comment on mentioning that caffein can impact sleep and attention therefor impacting growth in children is important. I think your claim is well stated and supported by your evidence, although I think it would be interesting and a way to strengthen your argument to note how the science behind the sleep impacts growth but overall, I think you did a good job.

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I see what your saying, connecting the lack of sleep you may experience from caffeine which can translate to growth which I have never truly thought about, so thank you for this original ideology. I think you can strengthen your argument further by diving into how sleep is truly effected by caffeine, on a scientific level to build a stronger point of view. Otherwise, I thought you arose new and innovative ideas so good job.

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I agree with your strength, both of those sources you provided are from credible sources, the Cleveland Clinic and Harvard Health Publishing are from knowledgeable people.

The Harvard Health Publishing does a good job of debunking the myth that caffeine stunts growth due to it blocking calcium absorption and potentially causing osteoporosis, and which stunts growth. And then the Cleveland Clinic states that caffeine doesn't impact growth.

I also liked how the Cleveland Clinic article you provided listed other factors that affect kids' growth. It shows that it's not just caffeine causing stunt growth, and instead, there are other factors. So correlation does not mean causation!

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You’re totally right to highlight that the direct myth—“coffee stunts your growth”—has no scientific backing, and I appreciate that you cited both Harvard Health and a pediatric endocrinologist from Cleveland Clinic. Those are credible sources, and it's great that you're bringing in expert medical voices like Dr. Roy Kim to support the point.

Where I think it gets really interesting is the second half of your comment—where you suggest that caffeine might indirectly affect growth by disrupting sleep and attention. That’s a smart, nuanced take. We know sleep plays a huge role in hormone regulation and physical development, especially in adolescents. So while caffeine doesn’t chemically stop bones from growing, the lifestyle effects of overconsumption—especially in teens—could potentially interfere with overall healthy development.

That said, one thing I’d add or challenge is that most of the studies looking at caffeine’s effect on sleep are dosage- and timing-dependent. A small cup of coffee in the morning is way different from slamming energy drinks at night. So it might be more accurate to say caffeine can be a growth-inhibiting factor in certain contexts, but it really depends on behavior and moderation.

Also, have you seen the more recent studies that link moderate coffee consumption to some long-term health benefits in adults (like reduced risk of type 2 diabetes or Parkinson’s)? It’s a complex conversation, and I think it’s cool you’re bringing up that complexity—just wanted to push the discussion a bit further!

Answer 6

The myth that coffee stunts a child's growth is false, there is no concrete evidence that shows this fully, yet it has been shown to negatively affect other health areas such as disturbed sleep and appetite. A person's growth is reliant on a couple different things, genetics and lifestyle factors such as nutrition, height and weight. Cleavland health clinic states that “Caffeine is an appetite suppressant, and stimulants have the effect of lowering appetite a little bit, but that doesn’t translate into a meaningful impact on child growth.” As well as WebMD states “caffeine in coffee drinks has a stimulating effect on your body and mind. This means it increases your alertness, focus, and heart rate. When young people consume too much caffeine before bedtime, their sleep is affected. The effects of sleep deprivation have more to do with stunted growth than coffee itself.” Overall, a more inclusive statement could be although caffeine and coffee in particular isn’t a key factor in stunting growth it can have some negative side effects that parallel to growth such as sleep and appetite.

"Fact or Fiction: Can Caffeine Really Stunt Your Growth?" Healthline, 23 Mar. 2020, www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-growth.

Kim, Roy. "Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth?" Cleveland Clinic, 9 May 2022, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-coffee-stunt-growth. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

Answer 7

It's a common misconception that drinking coffee at a young age will stunt your growth. Drinking coffee doesn't affect your overall hight. Lots of research has been done on coffee in regards to cancer, heart disease, infertility, and many other issues. Additionally, due to the high amount of research done there is nothing that suggest that coffee stunts ones growth. Many believe that coffee causes osteoporosis which leads to stunted growth, however, this is further from the truth for two reasons. One, coffee doesn't cause osteoporosis and two, osteoporosis does not routinely make you short. Finally people stop growing in their teens around 15-17 for girls and a little bit later for boys, normally people don't start drinking coffee routinely tell after these ages, and bone growth can't be undone either. Overall, coffee doesn't affect ones growth.

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

Comments

You propose an interesting argument when talking about when individuals stop the growing process, which is extremely important to discuss when looking at whether or not caffeine effects growth rates. While it doesn't cause height effects, I also like that you reinforced that it still isn't good for you and does cause potential health problems if abused, which I thought you held a lot of value in. Thank you for your response.

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I found your comment to be very clear and allowed me to understand the claim better. Your source is a very well known credible source and you do a strong job at explaining your argument. I also like how you added how coffee still can have the health issues if used incorrectly. Overall I felt as your comment was strong and informative.

Answer 8

Throughout a process of common sense and medical examination, most of us can agree that coffee does not stunt your growth. But more specifically, its use amongst children is controversial and may stunt some more confusion or conflict. While coffee is the main source of caffeine in adults, the consumption of coffee from ages 13 and under are based upon social context and culture. For example, environments with more supermarkets or easier access to caffeine has seen more intake in children. While this is the case in some communities, the conclusion remains the same that caffein and the intake of coffee does not stunt your growth.

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

Answer 9

it is actually not true that coffee stunts your growth but it does have other effects. although coffee is the main source in caffeine for adults in America it can cause some underlying side affects that most people don't know about. Not only does it raise people's heart rates but also can cause insomnia, anxiety, and stains your teeth. The American Medical Association has a great article on the health effects of coffee and I find it really interesting because it has become such an integral part of most of americas morning routines. interestingly it also increases cholesterol, here is a quote "Interestingly, brewing method does matter,” said Dr. Devries, noting that “unfiltered coffee made with a French press or Turkish style and, to a lesser extent, espresso, are associated with a small but significant increase in LDL cholesterol that does not occur with filtered coffee." so no it does not stunt growth but people need to be paying attention to the other side effects that are not talked about near enough.

Comments

I like the point this answer makes as it describes why this is a myth but this could have been a lot better if they were to include an accessible source instead of just using a quote from it.  Overall this answer really helped my understanding and was very informational.

Answer 10

There are many myths with coffee stunting your growth as a young child or teenager which isn't true. There are many factors that come with consuming coffee which are anxiety, disrupted sleep, high blood pressure and many other according to Cleveland Clinic's article. According to Roy Kim, a pediatrician from Cleveland Clinic that has his medical degree and has been in practice for more than 20 years, caffeine doesn't stunt your growth and there are studies that show factors that do make you taller in some sense which are the genetics in your family, getting enough calories, eating enough foods that have vitamin C/D and calcium. There are also some studies that conclude that there might be some disorders that could impact your growth as well. For example, hormone deficiencies and other issues could cause you to not grow even if there isn't any history from your family that has them. Caffeine has other ways that could affect you which is weaken your appetite which gives those people a lower risk for type 2 diabetes and other severe conditions. With other caffeinated drinks could tie more into your body weight. As we grow older, men and women could appear shorter because of our posture. According to University Hospitals, in majority of women as they grow older their bones start to become more weak and fragile which is why women appear to "lose" height. There are many ways that this article states that you can try to prevent from shrinking which are having a good posture, eating foods that have calcium and vitamin d to keep those bones healthy and also exercising regularly. In another article that I investigated was the Harvard Medical School article and by the age of 15-17 years old all girls have reached their height development and for boys a little later. So by the ends of your teens years is when you stop growing and it doesn't have to do with any foods that you are consuming.

https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2024/10/why-do-people-get-shorter-as-they-age

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

https://health.usnews.com/doctors/roy-kim-471251

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