Does milk make you taller? As kids growing up, we all were told that Milk makes you grow taller. But what is interesting is there are studies that have shown that children who consumed more dairy products grew taller than those who ate less dairy. But there are also research studies that found no difference in the height of the dairy and non-dairy groups.
Does milk make you taller? iStock-photo credit: fizkes
So, scientists aren’t sure if drinking milk can link to being taller. Milk does provide a lot of important vitamins and minerals nutrients for growth and development.
Your DNA/genetics is really what dictates your optimal height. But nutrition and exercise have the greatest impact on a child’s final height. Research studies show that 80% of a young childs height is associated with genetics.
Calcium is an important mineral that young kids need because it builds bone and helps to keep them stronger. Children who are 1 to 3 years old need 700 mg of calcium each day. And 4 to 8 years old need 1000 mg. The critical age where children need the most amount of calcium is between the ages of 9 to 18 and they need about 1300 mg per day.
The reality is more than half of the children in the U.S don’t get enough calcium in their diet. Examples of dairy foods are cheese, yogurt, milk, etc. Your body absorbs milk faster as a form of calcium than any other calcium food which most people don’t even know.
Here are examples of dairy foods and their calcium content.
- Cheddar cheese- 205 mg.
- Skimmed Mozzarella- 210 mg
- Low Fat Yogurt- 310 mg
- Skimmed Ricotta- 335 mg
Women stop growing at the end of the puberty and men stop growing at the age of 18 years old on an average. Once a person becomes an adult they stop growing and never grow taller than their height again.
Some non-dairy foods that provide calcium are the following:
- 1 cup of collard greens- 266 mg of calcium
- 1 cup of cooked broccoli- 100 mg of calcium
- 1 cup of cooked Kale- 179 mg of calcium
- 1 whole orange- 55 mg of calcium
- Tofu- 100 grams of calcium
Once a child’s growth plates close, they will not grow any taller. And this is what doctors use to determine if your child is still growing and how much more they will grow.
The Bottom Line is there are research studies that show that drinking milk regularly will help a young child grow taller. There are also studies that show that consuming more dairy than other kids will not make much of a difference in young kid’s height. So, it’s difficult to link drinking a lot of milk and its ability to make you grow taller.
About Author- Obi Obadike
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References
- Jelenkovic, A., Sund, R., Hur, YM. et al. Genetic and environmental influences on height from infancy to early adulthood: An individual-based pooled analysis of 45 twin cohorts. Sci Rep 6, 28496 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28496
- Viner RM, Allen NB, Patton GC. Puberty, Developmental Processes, and Health Interventions. In: Bundy DAP, Silva Nd, Horton S, et al., editors. Child and Adolescent Health and Development. 3rd edition. Washington (DC): The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2017 Nov 20. Chapter 9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525269/ doi: 10.1596/978-1-4648-0423-6_ch9
- Wiley AS. Does milk make children grow? Relationships between milk consumption and height in NHANES 1999-2002. Am J Hum Biol. 2005 Jul-Aug;17(4):425-41. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.20411. PMID: 15981182.
