Stuttering is a condition experienced by some people while speaking, wherein they tend to prolong a few words or parts of words. Also known as stammering, the exact cause of this condition is not known even to physicians and specialists in this field. The problem of stuttering is assumed by specialists to be caused by numerous factors and it is can also sometimes be caused by the excessive intake of caffeine. Though caffeine cannot be considered to be one of the primary causes of stuttering, it could aggravate the problem of stammering.

Regular intake of caffeine has known to have an adverse effect on people who stutter. Various studies have shown that when the intake of caffeine becomes excessive, an area of the brain is found to contain high levels of Dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for activating the pleasure centre of the brain and when it is present in huge amounts, it tends to have an effect which may or may not affect stuttering. Also, caffeine can sometimes stimulate vocal tensions which further increase stuttering.

The consequences of caffeine intake are not the same in all stutterers. While some may feel that the intake of caffeine does no harm to them, some others swear by the fact that their stuttering increases with caffeine intake. It can be assumed that the level of consumption of caffeine plays an important part in such cases; a high portion may be the cause of an undesired bout of stuttering. Hence, stutterers must watch the amount of caffeine intake to pro-actively prevent stuttering difficulties.

Since stuttering is more prominent in the childhood and because of the link known between stuttering and caffeine, it is better to avoid caffeine and sugary foods in children’s diet. Generally, the amount of stuttering reduces as years go by, but this must not mean that the precautions against caffeine can be evaded. This is because caffeine may induce the stuttering effect in former stutters hence causing an inconvenience.

The removal of caffeine from diet has known to completely eliminate the stuttering problem in some children, thus proving there is a link between stuttering and caffeine and hence showing that it is best that it is not included in the diet. As the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, and it is always advisable to refrain from taking caffeine, than to consume it and then face the trouble of stuttering.