Can Supplements Make Your Child Taller?

Vitamins and minerals are essential for proper development and growth. And zinc may be especially essential. So what happens if you give children supplemental zinc and a multivitamin? . . .

Seventy children between the ages of four and thirteen were randomly given either a placebo or a zinc supplement and a multivitamin. The children were all from central Thailand. The authors state that zinc and vitamin deficiency is common in developing countries. The children in this study were all said to be healthy.

The children in the supplement group were given 20mg of zinc bis-glycinate and a multivitamin containing 1,000 IU vitamin A, 200 IU vitamin D, 10mg of B1, 3mg of B2, 40mg of B3, 1mg of B6, and 10mcg B12. They took the supplements once a day, five days a week for six months.

After only two months, the children on the supplement already had significant increases in height compared to the placebo group. By the end of the six month study, the kids on the zinc and multivitamin had grown 3.6-6.2cm compared to only 2.7-4.5cm. The average growth was 4.9cm in the supplemented kids versus a significantly less 3.6cm in the placebo group.

The zinc plus multivitamin was well tolerated by the kids. This study study adds to the evidence that zinc and adequate vitamins are necessary for proper growth and development.

Pediatrics International 2016;doi:10.1111/ped.13011

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