Did Caffeine Stunt His Growth?

Q. I'm 18 now, a male, 5’9”. I began drinking caffeinated sodas in great excess (1 liter or more a day) when I was 10 or 11. By the time I was 13 I had completely stopped growing.

My height isn't that unusually small until you compare me to the rest of my family. My father is 6’8”, my brother 6’10”, and all my male cousins are at least 6’4”. My own mother is 5’11”. I do believe caffeine played a significant role in stunting my growth.

A. A liter of soda a day is a LOT of caffeine for a 10-year-old. Studies such as the Penn State Young Women’s Health Study (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Oct., 1998) don’t show a connection between caffeine intake and height, but experts often warn that substituting soda instead of milk could lead to suboptimal calcium intake. That, presumably, would have a negative effect on bone development. Perhaps that is why you ended up so much shorter than the rest of your family.