Does Drinking Coffee Actually Affect Your Growth?

Coffee: A drink steeped in rich myths and stories, as complex as a double caramel latte.

In the early days of England's coffeehouses, an ad claimed coffee was "good for sore eyes" and "great for preventing dropsy, gout, and scurvy." Meanwhile, 18th-century Germans thought it could make women infertile. A popular old wives' tale suggests that bubbles in your coffee mean you'll soon come into money — a welcome sign given today's coffee prices.

In recent years, a new belief gained traction among the public: that coffee could stunt a child's growth. However, just as the idea that a boiling pot of coffee means rain is nothing more than an old wives' tale, the claim that coffee leads to a population of short adults has been debunked.

The origins of this myth are shrouded in the history of coffee, but most experts agree that it likely stems from an early study connecting caffeine consumption to reduced bone density and osteoporosis. However, these studies were conducted on elderly individuals with calcium-deficient diets, which may have contributed to the loss of bone mass.

Later research found that women aged 65 to 77 who consumed about 18 ounces of caffeine daily did experience more bone loss over three years than those who didn't. But this effect was only seen in women with specific variations in their vitamin D cell receptors — and it was entirely negated if the women consumed the recommended daily calcium intake of 1,200 mg [source: Collins].

In a study focusing solely on children, researchers tracked 81 teenagers for six years. The result? No noticeable difference in bone density between the highest caffeine consumers and those who drank the least. However, while caffeine might not stunt growth in children, there are still other concerns surrounding coffee consumption for young ones, as will be discussed in the next section.

The Dark Side of Coffee

Coffee's journey has come a long way since the time when the Turks, fleeing Austria, left behind beans so bitter that the Viennese were forced to add large amounts of milk and sugar — resulting in what is considered the world’s first cappuccino. (The drink is believed to be named after a friar who helped repel the Turks and belonged to the Capuchin order of monks.)

Today, coffee drinks often resemble desserts more than simple caffeinated beverages. For example, Starbucks offers a mint mocha chip frappuccino blended with chocolate whipped cream, while Dunkin Donuts features vanilla bean coolattas with ingredients that include corn syrup twice, sugar, and sweetened condensed skim milk.

Although caffeine itself is linked to minor health concerns like jitters, anxiety, heartburn, and insomnia, it’s really the other additives — particularly sugar — that nutritionists find most concerning in coffee drinks.

America's ongoing battle with childhood obesity and diabetes is only made worse by high-calorie beverages, such as the 860-calorie large coolatta. This is especially alarming since, according to the National Coffee Association, 18- to 24-year-olds represent the fastest growing group of new coffee drinkers each year.

In addition to contributing to expanding waistlines, coffee can also cause dry mouth, which in turn increases the risk of tooth decay. The issue is made worse by tannic acid in coffee, which stains teeth enamel, leaving some smiles with an unwanted café au lait hue.

Coffee doesn't just affect the health of 20-somethings — pregnant women are also advised to limit their caffeine intake to no more than two cups per day. A study conducted in England revealed that pregnant women who consumed more than 200 mg of caffeine daily (roughly the amount in two average-sized cups of coffee) were more likely to have underweight babies [source: Elliott]. Lower birth weights have also been linked to spontaneous miscarriages, a concern previously associated with caffeine consumption.

However, if you're not pregnant, stay hydrated, ensure you're getting enough calcium, and avoid overloading your coffee with sugar, the health benefits of coffee far outweigh its drawbacks, as we’ll explore next.

Caffeinated Cures

Once called the 'devil's drink' by some Christians in the 1500s, coffee has since been found to offer a range of health benefits, according to numerous studies.

In the past, coffee was believed to have harmful cardiovascular effects, such as causing heart attacks and irregular heart rhythms. While it can cause temporary increases in blood pressure, a study involving 27,000 women over 15 years found that consuming one to three cups of coffee daily reduced the overall risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent [source: Brody]. Previous concerns about coffee being a significant risk factor for pancreatic cancer were debunked, and current research suggests it may even help reduce the risk of breast and uterine cancer in women [sources: Science Daily, Reuters].

Coffee and alcohol are often consumed together, and surprisingly, this combination may have health benefits. A study of 125,500 Kaiser Permanente health plan members showed that heavy alcohol drinkers who consumed coffee reduced their risk of cirrhosis by 20 percent for each cup of coffee consumed daily [source: McCullough]. Even among non-drinkers, coffee has been shown to significantly lower the risk of liver cancer [source: Science Daily].

For those at risk of type II diabetes, a visit to a coffee shop could be more beneficial than heading to the pharmacy. Two global studies have shown that coffee consumption can reduce the risk of developing the disease, with reductions of up to 50 percent [source: Foreman]. This is particularly helpful for those who are sensitive to caffeine, as the positive effects are attributed to chlorogenic acid, which is found in both decaf and regular coffee.

The energy boost from caffeine is a major advantage for athletes, so much so that it was once classified as a controlled substance by the International Olympic Committee. While it was once believed that caffeine stimulated the release of sugars in muscles, newer research suggests that calcium is actually released, which results in more powerful muscle contractions.

Doctors often emphasize that excessive caffeine intake isn't ideal, with the sweet spot for coffee's positive effects being somewhere between one to four cups daily. While the old belief that coffee can hinder growth is unfounded, another piece of traditional wisdom holds true — moderation is key in all things.