Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth?

Many folks have grown up under the impression that coffee drinking is only for those who are fully grown because of the detrimental effect it can have on your height, but does coffee stunt your growth? The warnings about coffee seem to have been around for so long that many may take it as just fact; however, there is reason to believe that the effect caffeine and coffee has on height is based on faulty data.

The connection between coffee and growth problems may have been the product of a study on the effect of caffeine and a reduction in bone mass. The study concluded that caffeine can have a detrimental effect on bone mass, but the participants of the study were all elderly patients with diets that were limited in calcium. The conclusion that coffee stunts growth may be a bit off base as far as this study is concerned.

Additional studies on women above age 65 also showed bone loss connected to caffeine consumption. However, again these women had additional issues that can explain the loss of bone separate from the consumption of coffee. Ultimately, the studies that purport to prove that coffee stunts growth have been disproved over the years. Still the belief that coffee stunt your growth prevails among many people.

While science has not been able to make a connection between coffee consumption and growth problems, caffeine could cause problems for young people if it causes sleep deprivation. Growth occurs in children during sleep and an excessive amount of caffeine could interfere with this important process. Lack of sleep can also affect concentration and performance in school. So, will coffee stunt your growth? No, but caffeine laden beverages can have an effect on children during an important part of their development.