You've Probably Heard That Coffee Can Stunt Growth. Is There Any Truth to This?

There isn’t any proven correlation between coffee and height. But there are some health risks for excessive caffeine consumption in children.

By Wilson Chapman
Nov 30, 2020 3:10 PM
Child at cafe
(Credit: Levranii/Shutterstock)

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If you were ever a kid who wanted to try coffee, you might have heard that you shouldn’t drink it because it stunts growth. It’s a common urban legend about the drink, and is at least part of the reason why it’s commonly regarded as exclusively for adults or older teenagers. The line of thinking behind this rumor is connected to the high amounts of the stimulant caffeine — roughly 95 milligrams per cup of coffee. The concern has been that so much caffeine can negatively affect body bone mineral gain or hip bone density, thus inhibiting growth in kids. The question is whether there is any truth to this.

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