There is no argument for the fact that coffee is the best companion to revive from a tiresome day. As the myth says, does caffeine stunt your growth? Caffeine is the stimulant present in coffee. It provides a rejuvenated feeling. There are many caffeinated drinks all over the world. Our routine tea and everyone’s stress-buster chocolates also have caffeine.
We all have come across a situation in life where someone has advised us to stop drinking coffee as coffee stunts growth. Is there any link between coffee and a person’s height? Let’s find out whether coffee and growth are related or not.
Does Caffeine Stunt Your Growth: Caffeine and Stunted Growth
In this article, we are checking all the facts about coffee and finding out if coffee has anything to do with growth.
Coffee and Bone Health
Calcium is one of the vital minerals that contribute to bone weight. Caffeine intake can increase the removal of calcium from the body. The plummeting calcium absorption can deteriorate bone health. But the decrease is quite negligible. So don’t be concerned. The reduction in calcium absorption can be compensated by adding some milk to your coffee.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis weakens bones. The inability of bone tissue to regenerate and thus lose bone weight is osteoporosis. Higher caffeine intake can decrease calcium absorption thus resulting in weaker bones. This leads many people to believe that coffee drinks cause osteoporosis. But there is no relevant evidence for their direct link as the effect of caffeine on calcium absorption is little.
Aging can decrease the amount of water in discs. This can compress the height of a person. This condition is spinal disc degeneration.
In childhood, the spine can bend laterally creating a curvature. This condition is Scoliosis.
Certain other factors determine the growth. Let’s get it one by one.
Adolescence and Height
Many studies reveal that girls attain their final height at the age of 15-17 and boys a little later. Teens start consuming coffee drinks mostly at this age. This lead to the misconception that caffeine intake is related to height loss. But the reality is after attaining the prescribed age, growth is not possible.
Nutrition
Proper nutrition is essential for growth development. From infants to adults, nutrition determines health. An infant can’t attain its full growth if they have poor nutrition. Infants with low birth weight need more nutrition. Poor nutrition weakens immunity and one is thus more vulnerable to diseases.
The diet should be rich in vitamins. Always include sources of vitamin D and calcium in your diet which enhances bone growth. Milk can be considered as a calcium source whereas vitamin D can be obtained from sunlight. To make calcium absorption efficient vitamin D should be present.
Sleep
People prefer to have coffee to stay focused for a long time. Coffee increases your alertness and concentration thus making you less sleepy. Most of the growth hormones are secreted during sleep. If you are not getting enough sleep then your growth hormone level will fall which can result in growth reduction.
If you are a routine coffee drinker then choose a time six hours before your sleeping time. Otherwise, caffeine can disrupt sleep. Sometimes higher caffeine intake leads to insomnia, a condition that restricts you from falling asleep. Irregular sleep patterns will trigger some other health problems.
Genetics
Genetics plays an important role in a person’s growth. A person inherits genes from their parents. If the parents have good height then there is a high probability for the children to be tall. In some cases, children won’t be tall. This is because the gene for characteristic tallness is recessive in the child’s body.
Hormones
Besides drinking coffee and food intake, hormone irregularities are also a valid reason for growth reduction. Hormones are the chemicals that are responsible for proper organ functioning. The malfunctioning of endocrine glands which produce all hormones including growth hormone can reduce growth.
Hygiene
It is one of the factors which is much relevant. Research proves that unhygienic conditions are invitations for diseases. A child affected with a disease spends all of his immunity fighting the antigen. Thus inhibiting the development.
Now it’s clear to you all that caffeinated beverage has nothing to do with growth. The myth that caffeinated drinks stunt your growth is irrelevant. The lack of scientific evidence makes this myth irrelevant.
Health Benefits and Side Effects
Caffeine increases alertness and focus in people. Caffeine is chosen by athletes to give their best performance. Caffeine intake is banned in some competitions. Caffeine is said to have many health benefits including lower risk of,
Liver diseases
Certain cancers
Gout
Dementia
Stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Unrelated to stunted growth doesn’t mean coffee has no side effects. Caffeine increases blood pressure in some people. Too much caffeine can upset your stomach and can cause acid reflux. Caffeine can trigger migraine and heartburn. Drinking coffee can negatively affect sleep too.
Caffeine doesn’t cause stress, but when a stressed person consumes caffeine it can elevate their anxiety levels. To avoid risk it is better to avoid drinking coffee when you are stressed.
How Much Coffee Per Day?
It is necessary to regulate your day-to-day coffee consumption. Children below 12 years should completely avoid coffee as their brain is not fully developed. As for teens from 12-18 years should not exceed 100 mg. 400 mg is the prescribed amount for young adults.
Pregnant women shouldn’t exceed 200mg as a daily intake. During pregnancy, there are different hormonal variations inside the body so caffeine intake can be harmful. Many studies say too much caffeine can cause miscarriage and affect the unborn child. The World Health Organization also suggests lowering caffeine intake during pregnancy.
For nursing mothers caffeine intake should be less than 300 mg.
How to Make Coffee a Healthy Drink?
Coffee is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are very much needed for our bodies. They can get rid of the free radicals which are toxic to the body. Usually, plant products are treated as great sources of antioxidants. Only some are aware of coffee being an antioxidant source.
Avoid drinking coffee with added sugar. Added sugars are harmful to our bodies. Too much sugar intake can increase body weight. Added sugar increases the risk of diabetes. Prefer natural sugars over added sugar.
Avoid coffee with artificially processed creamers. Always choose organic ingredients. Don’t drink too much. 4-6 cups of coffee per day is advisable.
Cinnamon is known for its intense aroma and strong taste. It can also benefit health by lowering glucose levels. Cinnamon can turn your coffee into a healthy drink.
Types of Coffee
For making coffee, coffee beans are collected from plantations. Well-ripened beans are plucked, dried, and roasted. After grinding, use hot water to dissolve. Coffee is served either hot or cold. A wide variety of coffee is available around the world. Some popular ones among them are,
- Americano
- Mocha
- Cold brew
- Drip coffee
- Cappuccino
- Latte
- Espresso
- Cortado
- Macchiato
Decaf Coffee
Decaffeinated coffee is free from caffeine. It doesn’t mean it is completely free of caffeine but a percent of caffeine is removed by specially developed technologies. Even after removing a certain amount of caffeine the taste and other qualities of coffee are retained.
Ludwig Roselius brought the idea of decaf coffee as he believed his father was poisoned by too much caffeine.
Final Thoughts
Coffee consumption is a part of everybody’s life. There is no research or relevant evidence that proves coffee is related to height loss. Coffee has more or less little effect on stunted growth. You don’t have to be concerned about including coffee in your diet.
Coffee has health benefits and as most people believe it also has adverse effects on health. Children should stay way from caffeine. Adults should also drink coffee moderately. More coffee means more caffeine and an increased risk to health. Always set your coffee break much before your sleep time.
FAQs
Does caffeine stunt growth at 16?
Caffeine never causes stunted growth. It is a complete myth. At the age of 16 teens usually attain their final height and they do start coffee consumption around this age. So people linked these two situations together without any research.
What can stunt your height growth?
Poor nutrition: When you are malnourished and your diet lacks calcium and vitamins, it can weaken your bone health and reduce bone growth.
Genetics: If parents are tall then children can have the height that they inherited.
Sleep: Lack of sleep can cause a drop in growth rate as growth hormones are released when you sleep.
Hormones: Any hormone irregularity can affect growth in children.
Does caffeine make you taller?
Like caffeine doesn’t stunt your growth, no evidence reveals caffeine can make you taller.
How much caffeine can a 13-year-old have?
Children below 12 years shouldn’t drink caffeinated drinks at any cost. They have small bodies so caffeine’s effects will be much larger in them. Sometimes it can even stunt children’s growth. Teens from 13-18 can have 100 mg per day, not more than that.
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