Dylan Goerner
The Effect of Caffeine on Humans
Caffeine is a very debatable subject among parents and children. To keep children
from consuming certain sodas or coffee they tell their children Caffeine stunts your
growth. If you drink beverages that contain caffeine your growth will be compromised
being stripped of nutrients that your body needs to grow. But, is this theory true? What
does caffeine really do to your body? What is it and why if it is bad for your growth do
most adults drink it while they don’t let their children? Many children who enjoy
caffeinated beverages wonder the following: is what my parents telling me about caffeine
true? Is it really as bad as I am told? What is Caffeine and why is it put in many
beverages?
To start off; what is caffeine? Caffeine is a natural drug produced by many
different kinds of seeds and plants. Caffeine may also be artificially produced. Caffeine is
a stimulant. A stimulant is a psychoactive drug which increases the activity going on in
the brain. Other stimulant drugs include Nicotine (found in cigarettes), Cocaine,
Amphetamines (which includes Meth or Methamphetamine), and Prescription drugs.
Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world and is found in most everyday
foods and beverages including coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, and soft drinks.
Although many people may not know Caffeine can be addictive, many avid coffee
drinkers or soft drink drinkers may become addicted to Caffeine. As withdrawals from
caffeine can include are headaches, fatigue, and irritability. Caffeine stimulates the brain
with more activity giving the person more energy, overall it can lighten the mood of the
person drastically. Caffeine effects can last up to six hours after consumption. People
who take very high doses of caffeine may have negative effects such as anxiety,
dizziness, headaches, and Jitters. Caffeine may also cause more than usual amounts of
urination.
Now, let’s take a look at how caffeine effects your growth. Caffeine does not make a
difference in how much you would grow with or without consuming it. If you replace
caffeine for milk it can have the opposite effect and even strip calcium from your bones.
If you have a healthy balance of milk and caffeine in your diet it should not effect your
growth. Therefore it may be unhealthy to drink caffeine if you are involved with heavily
involved in sports. Otherwise, if you consume a reasonable amount in everyday life it
wont effect your growth.
Experts say you should only consume around 200-300 mg max of caffeine a day. For
teens it is suggested around 100-200 mg a day will be healthy. So how much caffeine is
in everyday caffeinated drinks? Here are some examples:
SoBe No Fear contains 83 mg
Monster energy drinks contains 160 mg
Rockstar energy drinks contains 80 mg
Red Bull energy drinks contain 80 mg
Mountain Dew contains 55 mg
Coca-Cola Contains 54 mg
Diet Coke contains 45 mg
Pepsi contains 38 mg
Brewed Coffee contains 115 mg
Iced Tea contains 70 mg
Chocolate Milk 6 mg
Cold Relief Medication contains 30 mg
As you can see, caffeine is especially present in soft drinks. Therefore, if you have maybe
one a day it may not effect your bone calcium, but it is still is a good idea to not consume
these drinks every day. Caffeine, if consumed in general amounts is safe and will not
affect the growth of say your child or teenager. Keep in mind that the intake of caffeine
and the overall health of your child. What parents tell their children about caffeine being
extremely bad for their growth, may not be as bad as they might think.