Student Works - Christine Almadjian

Christine Almadjian
Mrs. Mashelle Kirkman
Research Writing
24 January 2018

“Coffee Kept Me Short”

With the rapid growth in coffee culture and contemporary time, a larger number of people continue to consume the decadent drink. Coffee infused ice creams and frozen yogurts, Greek frappes and affogatos, and creme brulee and mousse’s have rampaged the scene of modern dessert and twenty first century artistic approaches towards these desserts. This growth in societal and personal favorings has never lost its tangent of bad reputations, especially that of stunting growth. This continuous belief has been implied to parts of contemporary culture, ruining both the ability to enjoy the drink at its best and creating a restriction on the consumption of it by parents and guardians who fear the negative side effects. This theory, assumed by many due to popular culture and continuous drag of the idea lacking evidence creates a prominent misconception.

According to Harvard Medical School, research in regards to coffee being able to cause cancer, infertility, and heart disease have been continuously conducted. But, there has been no evidence linking the stunting of growth to coffee consumption. The factor behind the misconception is the development of osteoporosis, which makes bones weaker and brittle over the course of one’s lifetime. Although osteoporosis is diagnosed amongst more than three million people a year, the consumption of coffee does not in any way correlate with the osteoporosis diagnosis. Many may also perceive that osteoporosis directly causes one to become shorter, when in reality, the curvature and weakening of the bone discs cause the spine to wallow inward, not the osteoporosis itself. Coffee can cause migraines, GERD reflexes and heartburn, reduced fertility and miscarriage, but can be preventative towards stroke, Parkinson's, abnormal heartbeat, and liver disease.

The idea that coffee has been linked to stunting growth is all in result of continuous popular belief lacking evidence. The correlation with osteoporosis and “getting shorter” is a theory many also believe, as did I for a while before conducting my own research. But, since osteoporosis and coffee consumption cannot cause stunted growth, there is no harm in consuming coffee. Although consuming too much coffee can cause other harmful results within the interior and exterior of the body, it is safe to say that consuming it does not in any way disincline your growth ability or rate.






Works Cited

“Can Coffee Really Stunt Your Growth?” Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School, July 2015, https://tinyurl.com/y9g2rzzd, 18 January 2018

“What is Osteoporosis and What Causes It?” National Osteoporosis Foundation. Strong Voices for Strong Bones, November 2017, https://tinyurl.com/k6p5hsq, 18 January 2018