Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth?

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Growing up nonstop everyone always nagged that 'coffee stunts your growth' and that I would remain small forever. This is something that never phased me and I just figured they were screwing with my mind to stop me from drinking coffee.

My question to the informed, Does Coffee Really Stunt The Growth of the Human body? I've been researching on the net and all results are showing different conclusions.

As far as caffeine stunting one’s growth, this is a myth. Scientists have had many concerns about this possible side effect, but thus far there has not been any research to support it. It is important to know that caffeine can have many other adverse effects on your health if consumed in higher doses. Caffeine can cause anxiety, headaches, jitters, sleep interference and contribute to some heart problems. This substance is a drug and like most stimulants it can be addictive. Once addicted, there are withdrawal symptoms to deal with such as severe headaches, temporary depression and irritability. You might have thought that caffeine was just perking you up, but it may also be playing with your attitude as well. Athletes should pay close attention to how much caffeine they consume, as well as any other person. Caffeine has a dehydrating effect on the body’s cells (making them lose water), but at the same time causes your body to urinate. This two-fold mechanism causes rapid water loss from the body. It will also cause athletes to have sore muscles and delayed recovery time.

What should I do, continue to drink the Coffee with Caffeine or call it quits. Even drinks like coca-cola are caffeine enhanced drinks!
 
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I am taller then my peers and close family. I drink coffee all the time so I guess I'm living proof that caffeine probly doesn't affect your height.
 
I think it is a crock of beans. Around 40 years ago some lab mouse didn't grow full size when it was injected with a steady, insane amount of caffeine and it has been an old wive's tale ever since, in my opinion.
I think people should be warning others about drinking hormone-laden cow's milk that is bringing children to puberty quicker these days instead.

I also read that "coffee makes you fat" out of a health magazine which I think is also a crock 'o beans.

The withdrawl symptom thing is probably true, though I've never noticed it myself. But as far as the athlete thing goes, I run for my town's cross country team and I drink probably 8 or 9 mugs of coffee a day. I have not seen coffee or caffeine as a detriment, but that is just me.
 
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re: Will Coffee Stunt My Growth?

Growth Stunts because of coffee is a lie that our parents would use to keep us away from drinking the coffee since it was a 'grown up' drink.

When I was a youngster I would sneak some of my parents coffee while they they out of the room. Nothing I really cared for during that time but their consistant nagging that it would stunt my growth caused me to rebel and drink it more. Now I'm addicted and I have only one group of people to thank.. my ma and pop.

As far as stunting goes, what if the asked for height/weight when you sign up and do a poll of coffee drinkers and their height :oops:

5 foot 9 inches is where I stand in height. And to answer notmuffy' post I'm not fat, atleast not yet :!:

CB
 
:D I could add that I am 5'7" which is on the taller side for women, AND I am 2 inches taller than both my parents who were 5'5". Yeah, I could pinch an inch (or maybe two 8) ) but I couldn't be classified as fat either.


***edited to add***
source: http://www.arextreme.com/news/get-news. ... t-news.asp
From U. of Guelph, Ontario Canada
Caffeine does not improve maximal oxygen capacity directly, but could permit the athlete to train at a greater power output and/or to train longer.

Caffeine Pills

It has also been shown to increase speed and/or power output in simulated race conditions. These effects have been found in activities that last as little as 60 seconds or as long as 2 hours.
 
Caffeine Stimulates

I know this guy, we will call him Nulltone -- I don't think he's ever had a cup of coffee in his life. Hes a pretty short guy right now. Since caffeine in coffee is a stimulant from an uneducated point of view I'd first think that it would help you grow. However science is telling us that it doesn't have an effect on growth. Nulltone drink your coffee, I wanna see if you will grow a little taller. Since you're still young though you have time to grow :D

CoffeeLover
 
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growth

sdsdi can't image that this would affect anyone's growth.

every male in my family of 6 is over 6' - so it can't be.

we all love coffee!

Have a good one! drink away!










Alex Novitzky
Alex Novitzky
Alex Novitzky
Alex Novitzky
Alex Novitzky
 
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interesting!

My 6 year old daughter absolutely loves coffee. The total amount she drinks is minimal - a few ounces, as she also likes her cream. From a very young age she used to 'steal' sips from me, so I started making up a little cup for her.
I figure that she was getting more cream than caffeine and she needed extra fat grams. She is tiny, but that could be from being premature, or just inherited from my side of the family. We are all small people, and not all of us like coffee.
But because I allow her to have coffee, and she is tiny, I am always told that her growth will be stunted, and I am an evil evil mother.
My 12 yo niece was the same way, loved her coffee from a very early age - and she is taller than most kids her age.

By the way, having worked at a coffee/espresso place for a few years, I can tell you that its not the coffee that makes people fat - its the cream they add to their coffee! Duh! One lady complained that she didnt know why she was gaining weight, but yet she would come in twice a day and get a 20 ounce Breve (Cream) with some caramel flavoring and a double shot of espresso.....sheesh!
 
Growth

No, I don't Think it effects growth. I drink alot of Coffee and I am 5-11,but I never really started drinking coffee till I was like 15 . :shock:

I think we would have heard it from someone other then our Mom's if it did :wink:
 
Good for Kids?

Children and Coffee

"Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," says Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, which conducts its own medical research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good."


How does this brew affect growing minds and bodies? Very nicely, it seems, says DePaulis. Coffee, as you probably know, makes you more alert, which can boost concentration. But claims that it improves a child's academic performance can be exaggerated. Coffee-drinking kids may do better on school tests because they're more awake, but most task-to-task lab studies suggest that coffee doesn't really improve mental performance, says DePaulis.


But it helps kids' minds in another way. "There recently was a study from Brazil finding that children who drink coffee with milk each day are less likely to have depression than other children," he tells WebMD. "In fact, no studies show that coffee in reasonable amounts is in any way harmful to children."
 
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