Growth hormones to make your kids taller: any takers?
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Some of us were born tall, some short. But height and size is subjective. Take me, for example. At 5 ft, 1 in, I am considered “of medium height” in Asia, but “petite” in Europe. My husband stands 6 ft. 3 in, tall but not necessarily super big by European standards; a veritable giant in Asia.
So it was with trepidation that I read this new study about treating children with growth hormones (GH).
Some children have growth hormone deficiency and have thus a short stature. To rectify this, they are treated with additional growth hormones. But what about children who are naturally short but nevertheless do not have GH deficiency?
Swedish researchers tested the effects of GH on 150 short but non-GH deficient children and tracked their development for 20 years. And the results? Children treated with GH gained more height than those not treated with GH. In addition, height increase was found to be dose-dependent, e.g. the higher the GH dose, the taller the children became.
The next question is - Is it right to treat naturally short children with hormones? For what purpose? So they can become supermodels, beauty queens, and basketball players? Is size really that important in our society?
I have two boys who are often described as “quite big for their age” and are therefore predicted to grow as tall as their Dad. I know some people, however, who were of average size or even quiet tiny as a child but practically “shot up overnight” at puberty without the aid of GH. In Europe, there are times when I feel at a disadvantage about my size but mainly in things physical, like reaching the upper shelves in the supermarket or lifting my bag unto the train luggage rack. However, in the 17 years that I’ve lived here, my size has never become an issue in getting good marks at university or getting a job. For sure, I would never qualify for any beauty contest or stride on the catwalk. And I am not alone. A friend writes about her life in the UK as “David in the land of Goliaths” in this funny article “The Highs of Being on the Low End.”
If my boys show any signs of favoring their Asian “shortness” genes, would I ever consider putting them on GH therapy? I don’t think so. I will do my best to give them the love and care they need in order to grow physically as well as socially, and emotionally. This includes proper nutrition but not growth hormones. Be they big or small, they are my sons and I will always love them.
What about you? Would you consider giving your kids GH?
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