Could caffeine really stunt children's growth?

BOSTON - Exposure to small amounts of caffeine in the womb could affect a child's height.

Researchers looked at more than 1,000 mother-child pairs and found that children born to mothers who consumed even small amounts of caffeine during pregnancy were shorter on average by about 2 centimeters at age 8 than those born to women who consumed no caffeine during pregnancy.

These differences in height, while small, were noticed even among women who consumed caffeine below the recommended guidelines of less than 200 mg per day. That's equivalent to two 8-ounce cups of coffee. More research is needed to see if the height difference persists into adulthood.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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