Does Coffee Really Stunt Your Growth?

coffee-stunt-1

Personally, I am an avid coffee drinker and standing at a not so tall five feet I have always been curious if the common belief that coffee can effect ones growth holds any truth. Luckily for me, there is no scientific evidence that coffee can stunt a drinkers growth. Drinking coffee is incredibly normal in American and over 50% of people over the age of eighteen drink a cup every day. As many as 30 million American adults drink specialty coffee daily. Contrary to common belief, men drink as much coffee as women do. Both genders consume an average of 1.6 cups per day. Among coffee drinkers, the average consumption in the United States is 3.2 cups of coffee per day.
The reason that coffee can be associated with growth is the misconception that coffee can cause Osteoporosis. But, coffee intake is no longer considered a significant risk factor for Osteoporosis. The previous concern was coffee’s impact on the strength of bones. Coffee can alter the amount of calcium that is absorbed from the digestive tract in a frequent drinker. This matters most when coffee intake is much more than the average and in addition to that the calcium intake is low. Even if coffee did cause Osteoporosis, having Osteoporosis does not routinely make some one effected short. Height loss is also possible without osteoporosis. The discs in ones spine contain water and as people age, they loose the water. This may cause the spine to compress which further results in height loss if enough discs are affected. Scoliosis or curvature of the spine may also result in height loss.
Another point as to why coffee does not stun growth is that most growth occurs well before most people are drinking coffee regularly. Most people have almost reached their full height by their teen years. For girls, this is usually by age 15 to 17 and for boys, it’s a few years later. But, coffee cannot undo ones growth causing a drinker to shrink.
On the plus side for drinkers, many studies have failed to find serious medical risks associated with coffee drinking. But drinking in excess can cause insomnia and an increased blood pressure. Also, obsessive coffee consumption has been associated with reduced fertility rates and even miscarriage. In addition, caffeine withdrawal commonly causes headaches and heart burn.
In conclusion, just as drinking coffee won’t make you shorter, not drinking coffee won’t make you any taller. One piece of advice that can be taken away is to drink coffee in moderation! Also, if you are drinking a lot of coffee, it would be smart to also increase your calcium intake.

Work Cited:

“Coffee Statistics.” Coffee Statistics. N.p., 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

Shmerling, Robert H. “Coffee and Calcium Loss.” MSN Healthy Living. N.p., 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

Shmerling, Robert H. “Harvard Medical School Commentaries: Medical Myths.” Plan for Your Health: Commentary: Can Coffee Really Stunt Your Growth? Harvard Medical School, 9 Mar. 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

2 thoughts on “Does Coffee Really Stunt Your Growth?

  1. Sufian Hadi Abulohom

    I don’t think that coffee really stunt our growth. I think there are some small negative side effects, that’s why children shouldn’t be drinking coffee. Also, the fact that it makes them hyper and wake them up. But coffee, just like smoking could be one of those common things that could effect us without us knowing. If it took scientist to figure out that smoking causes lung cancer for many years. How long is it going to take them to find out negative sides of coffee. I personally never tried coffee before, therefore to stay on the safe side, I’d never drink coffee.

  2. Jennifer Lynn Finkelstein

    I am 5 foot also and I always blame my dad for my height because when I was younger, he would always let me have some of his coffee! I guess I should apologize!

Leave a Reply