I worked at a coffee shop over the summer and one day a family came in and ordered their son, who looked to be no older than 10, a large mocha latte. After they left, my coworker and I were both incredulous. She mentioned something about the kid not growing if they kept that up. I didn’t know what she was referring to so I asked her what she meant. She went on to tell me that caffeine stunts your growth. I was just shocked that anyone would buy a $6 cup of coffee, let alone for a little kid.

It did get me thinking though. There is no reason that children need caffeine for energy, so could there be negative effects on them? And for that matter, did extend to soda and other caffeinated foods or just coffee? And does this rule apply to adolescents and others who are still growing as well?

Some scientists claim that it is just a myth and it originated from the long-held belief that caffeine was thought to be a risk factor for osteoporosis. This, in turn, led coffee to be associated with reduced bone mass. (nytimes.com)

The only other study that came close to answering the question was a study done to test the effects of caffeine on 81 adolescents over six years, which “found no correlation between daily caffeine intake and bone growth or density.” (smithsonianmag.com)

From this information, it can be assumed there is no proof that coffee stunts children’s growth, but there is no proof it doesn’t stunt children’s growth either. The way to truly prove that this is just a myth would be to have an actual experiment, which I could not find in my research. One source even admitted that it was difficult to study the long-term effects of caffeine on children because most parents are not keen to let their child have daily cups of coffee.

Another study I found was unrelated to the question of coffee stunting growth, but it did acknowledge that adults who drank excess amounts of caffeine absorbed less calcium, which is necessary for bone growth. Scientists went on to say that this should not be a problem for many adults as one tablespoon of milk is enough to offset the equivalent of 8 ounces of coffee, so anyone with a balanced diet needn’t worry. (smithsonianmag.com)

As of now, there is no evidence that coffee stunts growth, but just because there is no evidence that it does doesn’t mean there is not still a possibility.