Height hacking: what to do when a boy’s school friends are taller than him

Those teen and tween years can be a tough enough time without the added worry of being the last boy in the class to experience a significant growth spurt. There are lots of reasons why a teen or pre-teen boy might have delayed growth, however there are also some clever nutrition hacks to help keep his growth on track so that he can become big and strong if he wants to!

Everybody goes through growth stages at different times, so it can be really tempting for them to compare themselves to others in their class or online. A study in 2019 found that almost one third of boys aged 16-17 were dissatisfied with their height, so they wouldn’t be alone in feeling this way. For reference, the average height of adult men in England is 5’9” (176cm), even though skewed media representations and biases might have led you to believe they need to be quite a bit taller.

It’s particularly difficult to deal with slow gains in height when they transition to secondary school as the older boys seem so much bigger and more mature. Many young lads seem to be shorter, slighter and less mature than their female friends at this stage too, but they soon overtake the girls and shoot up.

Everybody grows in their own time – if you or your partner grew in your mid to late teens, then your family might simply have late growing genes. But most of the time late growers will have a big growth spurt just a few years after their peers – some are still growing at 18! But obviously if you never caught up, then genetics suggest your kids have a higher chance of being less tall. But all is not lost. There are things that can be done. And it’s just as important to remember that appearances aren’t everything. Even though you and your kids understandably want them to reach their height milestones at the same time as their friends, there are plenty of healthy role models who are not so tall (think Tom Cruise or Daniel Radcliffe). So he should focus his attention on building his own unique skills and values. Before you know it, he’ll be strong and well-developed, both inside and out.

If you’re worried that your son is not growing as tall or as quickly as you’d like, or he seems to be lagging on his growth charts, then read on to discover how you can naturally support and optimise his growth.

Reasons his growth might be delayed

Even though most boys catch up by eating a better diet and focusing in on their nutrition, it is important to rule out medical reasons for delayed growth, especially if he comes from a tall gene pool or his height is not matching the rest of your family.

You may wish to seek the advice of an endocrinologist or paediatrician to find out if there is anything medical holding him back. Things to look out for may include medical conditions that could explain why he is not growing as fast as you or he would like:

ADHD medications: Even though stimulant medication for managing ADHD such as methylphenidate can really help focus, attention and school performance, it can suppress appetite whilst the medication is active which can be around 4-8 hours a day. This can mean that he might forget to eat lunch or only eat a very small amount which may impact on his growth. My tip is to give him a huge breakfast before taking his medication and then plan to eat a large meal when he gets back from school. He might need to eat two suppers on the days he takes ADHD medication and that is totally ok!

Serious asthma: Adolescents with asthma have often been found to be shorter than their peers. There are a few potential reasons for this – it could be due to chronic oxygen deficiency in muscle tissue, recurrent respiratory infections, sleep disorders or stress which can all potentially be brought on by the asthma. Children with asthma also often have a higher basal metabolic rate, which means they need more calories than others to grow. Common asthma treatments, like inhalers, can also interfere with the growth-hormone axis, impairing bone growth.

Allergies: Children with high histamine levels and atopic conditions like allergies, eczema or hay fever are also likely to be shorter than other kids, and boys are twice as affected by this as girls. This may be due to the body dealing with chronic inflammation, sleep disturbances and potentially the impact of restrictive diets needed to manage food allergies and intolerances.   

Thyroid conditions: Metabolic illnesses such as hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) can slow hormone production, leading to slower growth. Some children with hypothyroidism experience a short growth spurt after a period of no growth. Tests for thyroid hormones are usually included in an overall blood health check.

Sickle cell anaemia: This is a serious inherited illness in which red blood cells are not the shape they should be, making it difficult for blood to transport enough oxygen to the cells. This can cause growth delays during the teen and pre-teen years. This genetic condition is most common in people from African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and South Asian descent.

Lead toxicity: Exposure to even tiny amounts of lead during childhood, usually found in paint chips or house dust in old houses, can lead to delayed growth and puberty overall. Lead interferes with normal growth hormone production and displaces calcium in the bones which can affect bone development. As a result, it can lead to short stature as well as other cognitive developmental delays.

Coeliac disease: For those with coeliac disease, gluten causes an autoimmune reaction inside the small intestine. This damages the villi in the intestinal lining and makes it more difficult for your body to absorb the nutrients it needs to help you grow. Signs of undiagnosed coeliac disease often include yellow and oily stools, fatigue, irritability, mouth ulcers, and problems with tooth enamel. Children with coeliac disease often have a rapid period of growth followed by a long plateau, then a delayed pubertal growth spurt. Testing for coeliac disease involves a blood test which can be carried out by your GP or paediatrician.

Gut malabsorption: There are other reasons for gut malabsorption besides coeliac disease. Commonly this is due to low pancreatic elastase, which means you are not making enough enzymes to help digest and absorb all the nutrients from food, leading to stunted growth. You may see undigested food in the stools or very bulky stools if this is an issue. Pancreatic elastase can be easily tested via a stool test.

Intestinal inflammation: Similarly, intestinal inflammation from inflammatory bowel diseases such as Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease can prevent absorption of all the nutrients needed to grow. You will likely already be aware of an inflamed bowel condition, as symptoms often include blood in the stool or gut pain and calorie intake will be monitored closely.

Even if you are dealing with any of these conditions that may be holding back growth potential, there are ways to help manage them and support his growth. This can be done through a personalised approach, consultations, and testing through our NatureDoc clinical team.

My top growth tips for teens and tweens

The most important thing to do is to eat nourishing foods that are packed with a wide range of different vitamins, minerals, amino acids and healthy fats. So, learning to cook from scratch and assemble healthy snacks is a great life skill to help him develop now.

Also he should aim to eat at least five times a day – three large meals and two snacks. This will mean he consumes enough calories to grow optimally.

Unfortunately, many of the ultra-processed convenience foods and drinks that are so accessible such as crisps, chocolate bars and energy drinks may fill him up briefly but do not contain many, if any, of these key nutrients to grow properly and build a healthy, strong body.

British teenagers consume around a staggering 83% of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in their diet (the experts say a healthy diet should be 20% UPFs or less). This trend of eating too many UPFs seems to be affecting the height of British kids, and a recent study found that UK-based kids are on average 7cm shorter than their European peers due to the high volume of ultra-processed foods eaten in our country. So, cut back where you can if you want him to grow taller!

Prioritise protein

The body needs protein to grow, and this means a wide range of the different amino acids in protein. It is important not to go over the top with protein, either. A daily intake of 1–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily is about the sweet spot. If he weighs 50 kilos this means aiming for 50-80 grams of protein in total. 

Here are the average protein levels in everyday servings of high protein foods, so that you can get familiar with portion sizes:

• 1 medium chicken breast – 36g
• 150g beef mince – 25g
• 100g prawns – 25g
• 1 large burger – 23g
• 1 medium salmon steak – 23g
• 100g chickpeas – 19g
• 40g protein powder – 16g
• 100g quinoa – 15g
• 20g collagen powder – 12g
• 100g ricotta or cottage cheese – 11g
• 50g almonds – 10.5g
• 100g Greek yoghurt – 10g
• 2 chicken sausages – 10g
• 100g lentils – 9g
• 1 medium slice Swiss cheese – 8g
• 100g tofu – 8g
• 1 egg – 6g
• 1 tablespoon nut butter – 4g
• 1 meatball – 4g
• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds – 3g
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds – 2.3g
• 1 slice sourdough bread – 2g
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds – 1.3g

A note on protein and collagen powders

If you’re finding it difficult to get enough protein into his usual diet, it is totally okay to include protein and collagen powders, as long as he is not consuming more than 1.6g protein per kg of body weight each day.

If he is going to take a protein powder then always choose food-only protein powders over ultra-processed, body-building style powders, as you do not want to put his kidneys under too much pressure while he is still developing into a fully grown adult.

The American Academy of Paediatrics and American Society of Sports Medicine do not recommend creatine use under age 18, as it can cause muscles to retain water which may lead to muscle cramps, dehydration, diarrhoea, nausea and even seizures.

Protein powders are thicker and gloopier than collagen powders, so if he prefers a thick smoothie-style drink then opt for protein powders. If he prefers a thinner, milkshake-like consistency, or wants to add it to hot drinks, then choose a collagen powder.

Vital zinc

Most of us don’t realise that the recommended amount of daily zinc intake for boys more than doubles from early childhood to adolescence from a recommended daily intake of 5mg to 11mg. The maximum daily amount of zinc (unless there is a known deficiency) is 23mg for 9 to 13-year-olds and 34mg for 14 to 18-year-olds. Zinc plays a key role in cell growth and development, so he needs a much higher amount during pre-puberty and puberty to help him grow from a boy to a man.

Zinc rich foods include shellfish, seafood, fish, liver, red meat, eggs, dairy, green veggies, nuts, and pumpkin seeds.

Zinc supplements can top up the diet and are particularly indicated if he has little to no appetite in the morning, he is struggling with skin and acne, has a bad immune system, gets moody, tends to graze on junk food and sugar or simply is keen to grow faster.

Calcium for strong & long bones

Consuming enough calcium is particularly important for growing bones, and the US recommendations for tweens and teen boys is 1,300mg of calcium per day (the British Dietary Association recommends slightly less at 1,000mg a day).

Dairy products such as milk (there is 120mg calcium in 100ml of milk), yoghurt and cheese are excellent sources of calcium, and smaller amounts of calcium can be found in almond butter, ground almonds, tahini, poppy seeds, chia seeds, tofu, broccoli, kale and cabbage.

Mighty magnesium

Magnesium is a vital mineral for hundreds of enzyme reactions in the body including those supporting bone growth, so making sure that he gets enough magnesium to support his metabolism and growth. It also helps vitamin D to be properly synthesised in the body and works in harmony with vitamin D.

Aim for a daily intake of 240mg for boys aged 9-13 and it is 410mg for boys aged 14-18. Sources of magnesium include green leafy vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds and legumes as well as dark chocolate. Try Epsom salts or magnesium lotions and consider a magnesium supplement if needed.

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin

Getting enough vitamin D from sunshine and through your diet promotes bone growth and nutrient absorption. You can often get enough vitamin D from about 10 minutes of summer sun exposure per day with arms and legs uncovered, between 11am and 3pm.

In winter months and colder climates, most people benefit from vitamin D supplements. Teens are recommended a basic level of 600iu vitamin D through supplements, but he can take up to 4,000iu daily for 6-8 weeks if a blood test says he is low in this vital vitamin.

Oily fish, outdoor-reared meat, liver, egg yolks and mushrooms are other great ways to boost your vitamin D levels.

Round up

There’s a lot of useful information here in this blog already to help him grow, so here’s a quick summary of the tips above, plus a few extra tips to kickstart his growth:

• Consume 1-1.6g protein per kilogram of body weight every day.
• Aim to feed him five times every day using nutrient-dense foods.
• Keep ultra-processed convenience foods like crisps, cookies, sweets and fizzy drinks to a minimum.
• Prioritise enough sleep. Teens need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night – so get him to bed on time!
• Focus on the following key vitamins and minerals essential for growth: zinc, calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.

How are you going to achieve this? Start with a large breakfast at home incorporating at least 15-20g protein. Yoghurt, eggs, and nut butter are great ingredients in a high-protein breakfast. Take a protein smoothie or a selection of protein-rich snacks to eat on the way to school and on the way back and remind him to eat a big plate of food at school lunch. Family dinner is just as important, but you can make a high protein bedtime snack if he hasn’t eaten enough protein during the day.

Everybody grows and develops at their own pace, but I understand how frustrating it can be for them to feel left behind from his pack. I hope my tips above help to give his height a boost, but if he still isn’t growing as quickly as you or he would like, consider booking a one-to-one consultation with the NatureDoc team. We can run tests for all the above reasons why he may not be growing, including testing nutrient levels and gut malabsorption, and then get him on a personalised programme to help optimise his growth.

References

• Body Dissatisfaction in Adolescent Boys
• Short Stature (Growth Disorders) in Children
• Malnutrition and Catch-Up Growth during Childhood and Puberty
• Physical development in children and adolescents with bronchial asthma
• Delay of growth and development in children with bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis
• Growth patterns in children with sickle cell anemia during puberty
• Lead and Growth
• Zinc deficiency and child development
• Neurobiology of Zinc-Influenced Eating Behavior
• Zinc deficiency and eating disorders
• Zinc deficiency: a contributing factor of short stature in growth hormone deficient children
• Zinc supplementation increases growth velocity of male children and adolescents with short stature
• Zinc supplementation and growth in children   
• Effect of supplemental zinc on the growth and serum zinc concentrations of prepubertal children: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
• NIH Zinc Professional Sheet