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.
