A popular supplement on social media is raising eyebrows in the medical community by suggesting it helps children grow taller. It’s called TruHeight and the supplement claims to help children. reach their height potential.

TruHeight has used influencers to promote its products and appear on TikTok Shop, while the brand regularly posts photos and videos on the social media platform featuring physically active children and teens. “Me looking at my brother complaining about being short after telling him about TruHeight multiple times,” one post read. video.

The posts are filled with testimonials from users who swear they pushed after taking the supplements. “My mother gave me this last Christmas. Grew 3 inches in about 5 months,” one person wrote in the comments of a job. But netizens pointed out that these supplements are not cheap. The brand Growth Candywhich provide a 30-day supply of supplements, cost $40.50 on the TruHeight website. A jar of TruHeight Growth Plant Protein Shake, which has 15 servings per container, also costs $40.50. They’re even more expensive on Amazon, where many products sell for $45.

But what’s in TruHeight and does it actually work? Pediatricians give their opinion.

What’s in TruHeight?

TruHeight is a supplement brand owned by Vanilla Chip, a company involved in several lawsuits, including one filed in April 2024 alleging alleged TruHeight made “false and misleading advertising claims” about children’s growth. There have been 36 consumer complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau against Vanilla Chip, which was given a D rating by the agency.

TruHeight sells a line of supplements, including capsules, gummies and protein powders that claim to improve children’s growth. The brand also sells TruHeight Sleep Gummies which claim to “support sleep and growth”.

Each TruHeight product is slightly different, but TruHeight growth capsules say they contain calcium (a mineral involved in bone production), vitamin K (which help regulate calcium in the body), vitamin D (which helps the body absorb calcium) and ashwagandha (an herb that can help reduce stress).

According to the labelTruHeight Sleep gummies contain melatonin (a hormone that helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle), L-theanine (an amino acid linked to sleep and stress reduction) and lemon balm (an herb that can help reduce anxiety and indigestion).

What does TruHeight claim?

Despite its name, TruHeight is careful not to explicitly state that it will help children grow taller. Instead, the company uses language in its website which states things like its supplements “support healthy growth and development” and “support normal bone growth and function.”

The brand has a clinical trials section on its website that says TruHeight “put our growth innovations to the test.” The site also says that after a six-month pilot clinical trial – another word for a small study used to see if information can be collected for a larger study, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — children who took TruHeight daily had a “statistically significant increase in collagen X” compared to those who did not take the supplement. According to TruHeight, collagen

But the brand doesn’t provide any details about the pilot study, including who these kids were, how many of them participated in the study and which TruHeight product they used. It also doesn’t say whether the children actually grew taller during that time — the brand simply notes that the children had higher levels of a biomarker. A online search because a study that appears to be the one referenced found that only 20 children completed the study, which is considered very small in the scientific community.

Beyond that, TruHeight links to a host of studies that were unrelated to the company and did not use its products. (TruHeight did not respond to Yahoo Life’s request for comment by deadline.)

Will TruHeight help children grow taller?

Pediatricians are not convinced that TruHeight will make children grow taller. “In general, for children who are malnourished and failing to thrive, nutritional supplementation with specific nutrients missing may impact their growth (height and weight gain).” Dr. Krupa Playforth, pediatrician in Virginia and founder of The Pediatrician Mom, tells Yahoo Life.

“However, for the average child – even a picky child – supplements like this are unlikely to have a significant impact on growth,” she continues. Ultimately, Playforth says, “the biggest predictor of height is genetics.” This means that if parents are on the shorter side, their children are also likely to be shorter, and vice versa.

“There is no strong scientific evidence that supplements can significantly increase a child’s height.” Dr Daniel Ganjianpediatrician at Providence Saint John Health Center in Santa Monica, California, told Yahoo Life.

Nutrition matters though. “Nutrition is a key driver of growth, particularly during early childhood, but also at all ages. » Dr Zoltan Antalchief of pediatric endocrinology at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, told Yahoo Life. “Infants who don’t gain enough weight also tend not to grow properly. Likewise, adolescents who lose or restrict their weight tend to have insufficient growth spurts.

Children with conditions that interfere with their ability to absorb nutrients, such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and other inflammatory bowel diseases, may also have trouble growing, notes Antal. “So it’s not just about eating enough calories, it’s also about making sure they’re absorbed properly,” he says.

There’s another important thing to consider: Most healthy children grow over time, regardless of what they eat or what supplements they take. Children grow about two inches per year from infancy to puberty, then about three inches per year during puberty, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This makes it difficult to link a child’s growth to a specific supplement.

Are there any downsides to taking this?

There are a few things to keep in mind. “Supplements are unregulated and there is a common misconception that just because a product is available on the market is it safe and effective,” says Playforth. This lack of regulation means that what is on a product’s label may not match what is actually in the supplement.

There is also a risk of side effects. “Some supplements may interact with medications or cause other health problems,” says Ganjian.

He points out that supplements – especially TruHeight supplements – aren’t cheap either. This can mean parents paying large sums of money for a product that does nothing. Ganjian adds that taking such a supplement can leave families with unrealistic expectations. “Relying on supplements can be disappointing if they don’t work,” he says.

Why are boys in particular so attracted to this?

Boys face a lot of societal pressure to look a certain way, Ganjian says. “Boys may feel pressure to be tall and muscular, especially in sports or in certain social circles,” he says.

TruHeight also uses cool, sporty teens in its social media posts, and Ganjian says this may appeal to boys who may struggle with self-confidence and wish they were taller or stronger.

What to do if you are concerned about your child’s growth

If you’re concerned about your child’s growth, Antal recommends talking to your child’s pediatrician. The doctor will likely look at your child’s growth chart, which tracks height and weight over time, to confirm that your child is on a stable growth pattern. “Even if this growth percentile is at the bottom of the growth curve, like the third or fifth percentile, as long as growth is stable along the percentile, it is very unusual to have an underlying medical condition.” , explains Antal.

He also recommends thinking about what stage of puberty the child is in. “If the child has not yet started puberty, a steady growth rate is normal,” he says. “However, if the child has begun pubertal development, then the growth rate should increase compared to the growth rate before puberty.”

Overall, Ganjian emphasizes that parents should be realistic about their expectations for their child’s height and talk to their doctor if they have any concerns.