One of the most popular caffeinated beverages consumed worldwide is coffee. This is because of its stimulating qualities, as well as its fantastic flavor and aroma.
Although it contains caffeine, a mild stimulant that boosts your energy. Many people think that consuming excessive amounts of caffeine can stop you from growing taller. Does coffee stunt your growth, then? You must be aware of the following.
Getting more calcium and vitamin D through diet (or supplements) could easily address this for anyone concerned about the impact of coffee consumption on bone health.
And while it is true that people with osteoporosis of the spine can lose height (and frequently have curved spines), it is the fractures, not the osteoporosis itself, that cause height loss.
Which Will Cause Height Loss?
The height of an adult can be decreased by osteoporosis and compression fractures. However, it is also possible to lose height without osteoporosis. Most spinal bones (vertebrae) have water-filled discs above and below them. As they deteriorate and slightly compress with age due to water loss, You may gradually lose a measurable amount of height if enough discs are harmed. Loss of height can also result from the spine’s curvature (scoliosis) or forward bending (kyphosis). Osteoporosis (in adults) and abnormal development (in children) are the most frequent causes of scoliosis and kyphosis, respectively. Increasing calcium and vitamin D intake through diet (or supplements) could easily address any concerns about how drinking coffee affects bone health. And while it is true that people with osteoporosis of the spine can lose height (and frequently have curved spines), it is the fractures, not the osteoporosis itself, that cause height loss.
Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth?
The factors that determine a person’s height are numerous. The primary determinant of an adult’s final height is genetics. For traits like height, weight, and metabolism, your parents carry the corresponding genes. There is no proof that caffeinated beverages like coffee will slow your growth, despite the fact that some lifestyle factors, like childhood nutrition, can affect your height.
As you grow older, genetics and lifestyle factors interact. The way your genes are expressed can be affected by specific environmental factors. However, there isn’t enough evidence to say that coffee’s caffeine actually slows down children’s, teenagers, or young adults’ growth. This myth, however, might be propagated because of a tangential relationship between caffeine and growth.
How Do Caffeine And Growth Relate?
Can coffee stop you from growing? Regarding how to respond to this question, there are many common misconceptions. In particular, although not directly, caffeine and growth in children.
Coffee beverages contain caffeine, which stimulates both the body and the mind. In other words, it raises your heart rate, alertness, and focus. The quality of sleep is impacted when young people overdo it on caffeine before bed. More than coffee itself, the consequences of sleep deprivation involve stunted growth.
Caffeine consumption in the hours before bed disrupts your sleep cycle. For children and teenagers to develop properly, sleep is especially crucial. Young people who consume caffeine up to six hours before bedtime are therefore more likely to have trouble falling asleep. This stops their body from producing the hormone that promotes growth and makes them taller.
The fact that most children reach their final height in their teen years is another factor contributing to the widespread belief that coffee stunts growth. Around this time, young people start consuming coffee and other caffeinated beverages. It’s simple to assume that young teenagers’ development is stunted by coffee, but the two actually have little in common.
More Health Issues Related To Coffee
Although it does not slow down growth, coffee may still be harmful to your health in other ways.
Some Coffee Drinks Are High In Sugar
Many common coffee beverages have a significant amount of added sugar in the form of whipped cream, shaved chocolate, and flavoring sugar syrups.
Contrary to naturally occurring sugar in whole foods, added sugar typically causes larger blood sugar spikes. This is so that blood sugar fluctuations are lessened by the fiber and other advantageous nutrients present in high-sugar fruits and vegetables.
Excessive added sugar consumption has been linked to obesity, heart disease, and a host of other health issues.
The American Heart Association advises against allowing kids to consume more added sugar than 6 teaspoons (or about 25 grams) per day for this reason.
Some of these calorically dense sugary coffee drinks can have up to 66 grams of added sugar.
Coffee Can Disrupt Sleep
Coffee’s caffeine can momentarily boost energy and alertness, but it can also disrupt sleep.
It has a longer half-life in a young person’s body than it does in an adult’s body, which prolongs the duration of its effects.
191 middle school students participated in a two-week study that looked at sleep patterns and consumption of foods and beverages with caffeine. It was discovered that the range of daily caffeine consumption was 0–800 milligrams.
Reduced or disturbed nighttime sleep and increased daytime sleepiness were both linked to higher caffeine intake.
Additionally, teens who lack sleep are more likely to have poor academic performance and consume foods high in sugar and calories, which is a major contributor to childhood obesity.
Can We Say Coffee Safe?
Caffeine intake for adults is safe at up to 400 mg per day.
This is the same as four to five 8-ounce cups of coffee (240 ml).
For other groups, such as children and pregnant women, who are much more sensitive to the effects of caffeine, however, there are different recommendations.
Additionally, these suggestions apply to caffeine in general, not just coffee.
Tea, soda, energy drinks, and chocolate all contain caffeine.
For Growing Teens And Younger Adults
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests a daily caffeine limit of 100 mg, the US government has no recommendations for children’s caffeine consumption. For teenagers aged 12 to 18, this is roughly the same as one 8-ounce cup of coffee.
Children and young adults should not consume more caffeine than what Health Canada advises:
- 4–6 years: 45 mg/day
- 7–9 years: 62.5 mg/day
- 10–12 years: 85 mg/day
- 12–18 years: 2.5 mg/kg of body weight/day
For Pregnant Women
Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration advise women who are nursing, pregnant or trying to get pregnant to keep their daily caffeine intake to no more than 300 mg.
This equates to roughly two to three cups daily.
Caffeine consumption above 300 mg per day is linked to a higher risk of miscarriage and low birth weight.
How Much Coffee Should I Drink Each Day?
While Canada has official regulations, the United States does not.
Health Canada advises a maximum daily intake of no more than 2.5mg/kg of body weight for children 12 years of age and under.
That comes to a maximum of 45 mg/day for children 4-6 years, 62.5 mg/day for children 7-9 years, and 85 mg/day for children 10-12 years, based on average weight.
The upper limit for adults is 400mg.
Teenage weight ranges have also been added to this chart.
The Bottom Line
Coffee doesn’t stop you from growing, regardless of whether it turns out to have significant health advantages. The quality of your diet and general health as you grow up, as well as the heights of your parents, all have a significant impact on your final height. You’re more likely to reach the maximum height “allowed” by your genes if you maintain a healthy diet and take steps to prevent osteoporosis.
However, this does not imply that young people should regularly consume coffee. A lot of popular coffee drinks might contain a lot of added sugar, which can have negative health effects and interfere with sleep if consumed in excess.
However, coffee is safe and even healthy if you consume it within the recommended caffeine limits.
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