No evidence shows that energy drinks directly stunt your growth or close growth plates early. The real concerns are indirect. The caffeine, added sugar, and stimulant intake that come with a daily energy drink habit can cut into sleep quality and nutritional status during adolescence, and puberty is the stretch of life when your body needs both the most.
Energy drinks also aren’t just a stronger soda. A can often packs two to three times the caffeine of a cola, sometimes with added stimulants like guarana or taurine, which is why the question of energy drinks and growth deserves a more careful answer than “coffee stunts your growth.”
Key Takeaways
- Current evidence does not show that energy drinks directly stunt height or stop normal growth.
- Many energy drinks contain 80 to 300 mg of caffeine per can, and some add 25 to 60 grams of sugar.
- Caffeine taken in the afternoon or evening can shorten sleep, which teens need 8 to 10 hours of each night.
- Energy drinks are not sports drinks, and neither is needed for routine hydration.
- Pediatric guidance in the U.S. advises against energy drinks for children and teens.
- Final height depends mostly on genetics, with nutrition, sleep, hormones, and overall health shaping how much of that potential you reach.
Do Energy Drinks Stunt Your Growth? The Short Answer
Energy drinks have not been shown to reduce adult height. No study has found that teens who drink them end up shorter because of the drinks themselves.
But “doesn’t directly stunt growth” isn’t the same as “harmless.” If a can at 4 p.m. means falling asleep at 1 a.m., and that can also replaces dinner, the habit is working against the conditions growth depends on. Teens who drink a lot of energy drinks also tend to sleep less and eat fewer nutrient-dense foods, so any link to slower growth would be hard to pin on caffeine alone. That’s the difference between correlation and causation, and it matters here.
What Does “Stunting Your Growth” Actually Mean?
Stunted growth is a medical term for growth velocity that falls well below expected rates, usually from chronic malnutrition, hormone problems, or long-term illness. A pediatrician spots it on a growth chart when a child drops across height percentile lines over time.
Being shorter than your friends at 14 isn’t stunting. Puberty timing varies by several years, so a late bloomer can look “behind” and still reach a normal adult height. For a closer look at the genuine causes, see this overview of what can stunt your growth.
Why People Think Energy Drinks Can Make You Shorter
The idea comes from an old American warning about coffee. Generations of parents told kids that coffee would stunt their growth, and since caffeine is the headline ingredient in energy drinks, the myth simply transferred over.
The coffee version had a small scientific seed. Caffeine slightly increases how much calcium leaves the body in urine, roughly a few milligrams per cup, which is easily offset by a splash of milk or a normal calcium intake. Later research didn’t find that caffeine reduces bone growth or height in people eating a reasonable diet. The myth sticks around because it’s simple and passed down at kitchen tables, and the full story on whether coffee stunts your growth follows the same pattern.
How Caffeine in Energy Drinks Affects Teenagers
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. It blocks adenosine, the chemical that builds up during the day and makes you feel sleepy, so alertness goes up and fatigue gets pushed back rather than erased.
A smaller body gets a bigger dose per pound from the same can. A 110-pound freshman and a 200-pound adult drinking identical cans aren’t getting the same exposure, and teens who rarely use caffeine have less tolerance to blunt the effects. Caffeine’s half-life runs about 5 hours in most people, so half of a 3 p.m. can is still active at 8 p.m.
How Much Caffeine Can Energy Drinks Contain?
“One energy drink” isn’t a useful measurement, because can sizes and concentrations vary widely. Here’s how a few common U.S. options compare, based on manufacturer labels at the time of writing (labels change, so check the can you’re actually holding):
| Drink | Typical size | Caffeine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bull | 8.4 fl oz | about 80 mg | Similar to a cup of coffee |
| Monster Energy | 16 fl oz | about 160 mg | Teens often finish the full can |
| Celsius | 12 fl oz | about 200 mg | Marketed as fitness-friendly |
| Cola | 12 fl oz | about 30 to 40 mg | Far lower per serving |
| Brewed coffee | 8 fl oz | about 95 mg | Varies with brew strength |
The comparison that stands out is Celsius. Its “healthy” branding makes it feel lighter than Red Bull, yet one can carries more than double the caffeine. Monster deserves a second look too, since the 16-ounce can is often labeled as two servings even though almost nobody drinks half.
Can Energy Drinks Affect Growth Indirectly?
Yes, and this is where the habit matters more than any single can. Regular energy-drink use can affect growth-related factors in three main ways:
- Sleep: Caffeine delays sleep onset and reduces deep sleep.
- Diet quality: A drink with 50 grams of sugar can blunt appetite and replace milk, water, or a meal. The effects of sugar on growth are mostly about what it pushes off the plate.
- Recovery: Athletes using caffeine to push through fatigue may skip the rest and food their bodies need after training.
Energy Drinks, Sleep, and Growth
Sleep is the clearest indirect link. Growth hormone is released in its largest pulses during deep, slow-wave sleep, and caffeine reduces both total sleep time and the share spent in deep sleep.
The typical U.S. high school schedule makes this worse. First bell is often before 8 a.m., homework and practice run late, and gaming or group chats fill whatever’s left. CDC data show that more than 7 in 10 high school students don’t get the recommended 8 to 10 hours. Many teens then reach for a can to get through the day, which keeps them up again that night.
One bad night won’t change your height. A pattern of short sleep across months of puberty is a different matter, and sleep ranks among the core tips to grow taller for that reason.
Do Energy Drinks Affect Bones or Growth Plates?
No research shows that caffeine or energy drinks close growth plates early. Growth plates (epiphyseal plates) are areas of cartilage near the ends of long bones, like the femur, where new bone forms during childhood and adolescence. They harden into solid bone after puberty, driven mainly by estrogen in both boys and girls.
Bone strength is a separate question from height. Bone mineral density depends on calcium, vitamin D, protein, and weight-bearing activity, and a teen who swaps milk for energy drinks every day may miss out on calcium at the age when the body builds most of its lifetime bone mass. Vitamins for height growth covers which nutrients carry the most weight here.
Are Energy Drinks Safe for Kids and Teenagers?
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that energy drinks have no place in the diets of children and adolescents. Commonly cited U.S. pediatric guidance advises no caffeine for kids under 12 and no more than about 100 mg a day for teens 12 to 18. The FDA’s 400 mg daily figure applies to healthy adults, not minors.
That 100 mg ceiling is easy to pass. One Monster or Celsius goes over it, which is why reading the caffeine line on the label matters more than counting cans.
What Happens If a Teen Drinks Too Much Caffeine?
Common signs of too much caffeine include jitteriness, a shaky hand tremor, a racing heartbeat, nausea, headaches, anxiety, and insomnia. Most of these fade as the caffeine wears off over several hours.
Chest pain, fainting, confusion, a very irregular heartbeat, or seizures after an energy drink need emergency care right away. These reactions are rare, but they’re more likely when energy drinks are mixed with other stimulants or alcohol, or taken by someone with an undiagnosed heart condition.
Energy Drinks vs. Sports Drinks: What’s the Difference?
Energy drinks deliver stimulants, while sports drinks replace fluid, sodium, and carbohydrates lost through sweat. They aren’t interchangeable, and a stimulant before a summer practice in Texas heat doesn’t help hydration.
For most school-day activity, plain water is enough. Sports drinks earn their place during intense exercise lasting more than about an hour, or in heavy heat with lots of sweating, like two-a-day football practices in August.
What Actually Determines How Tall You Grow?
Genetics accounts for roughly 80% of the variation in adult height. Your parents’ heights set a rough target range, and short parents can still have tall children depending on how other factors play out.
The remaining share depends on enough calories and protein for height growth, adequate calcium and vitamin D, normal hormone function, consistent sleep, and freedom from chronic illness. The puberty growth spurt is when these factors matter most, and the window closes once growth plates fuse.
Can Avoiding Energy Drinks Make You Taller?
Avoiding energy drinks won’t add inches beyond your genetic potential. What it can do is remove an obstacle to reaching it, especially if the drinks were costing you sleep or meals. Steady bedtimes, regular meals, and physical activity do far more for growth than any single drink choice.
Healthier Alternatives to Energy Drinks for Teens
The best substitute depends on why you’re reaching for the can in the first place:
- Afternoon slump at school: A snack with protein and carbs, like a turkey sandwich or yogurt with fruit, gives steadier energy than sugar and caffeine.
- SAT or ACT study sessions: Short breaks, water, and an earlier start beat a late-night can that wrecks the next morning.
- Late-night gaming or homework: The fix is an earlier cutoff, since caffeine only borrows energy from tomorrow.
- Summer sports: Water for most practices, plus an electrolyte drink for long, sweaty sessions.
- Skipped breakfast: Milk or a fortified soy drink adds calcium, protein, and vitamin D in one glass.
For more options, browse these height-boosting drinks.
When Should Parents Talk to a Pediatrician?
A pediatrician visit makes sense when your child’s growth rate slows noticeably, drops across percentile lines, or stalls before puberty seems finished. It’s also worth booking if your teen drinks several energy drinks a day, can’t cut back, or has palpitations, chest discomfort, or panic-like symptoms after caffeine.
A clinician will compare measurements over time, review medical history, and check puberty stage, which tells far more than a single height reading.
FAQ About Energy Drinks and Growth
Does Monster Stunt Your Growth?
No, Monster doesn’t directly stunt growth. A standard 16-ounce can holds about 160 mg of caffeine, which is above the 100 mg daily limit often recommended for teens, so its effect on sleep is the bigger issue.
Does Red Bull Stunt Your Growth?
No evidence shows that Red Bull reduces height. An 8.4-ounce can has about 80 mg of caffeine, and the risk depends on how many cans you drink and how late in the day.
Does Caffeine Stunt Your Growth at 14, 15, or 16?
Caffeine doesn’t stunt growth at any of these ages. The biology is the same across the teen years, but 14 to 16 often overlaps with the growth spurt, so protecting sleep and nutrition matters most then. Boys usually keep growing longer than girls; see when boys stop growing and when girls stop growing.
Can One Energy Drink Affect Your Height?
No, a single energy drink won’t change your final height. Height reflects years of growth, so only long-term patterns of poor sleep or nutrition could plausibly play a role.
The Bottom Line
Energy drinks don’t directly stunt your growth or close growth plates. Their caffeine and sugar can cut into sleep and push nutrient-rich foods out of a teen’s diet during the years when growth depends on both. If energy drinks have become a daily habit, or if you’re worried about your child’s growth rate, talk with a pediatrician who can review growth over time.
Jay Lauer is a health researcher with 15+ years specializing in bone development and growth nutrition. He holds a B.S. in Kinesiology and is a certified health coach (ACE). As lead author at HowToGrowTaller.com, Jay has published 300+ evidence-based articles, citing sources from PubMed and NIH. He regularly reviews and updates content to reflect the latest clinical research.