Who doesn’t want to get taller?
Unless you’re already a professional basketball player, you’ve no doubt considered how amazing it would be to be a few inches taller.
Wouldn’t it be nice to reach the top shelf in the store? Or to be able to change that one light bulb in your kitchen without grabbing a step-ladder? Or simply to give you that edge in sports or more confidence at school or work.
Here’s the thing: even if you’re technically past the typical age for the end of puberty, you just might be able to do something to help you gain some height. While there’s nothing clinical that suggests that supplements exist to help you get taller, there are plenty that make that claim.
Let’s break down what some of the more specific claims and theoretical science behind some of the more popular supplements on the market. First, we must establish how growth works naturally according to Height Growth Club Online.
On Natural Growth
Naturally, girls and boys both stop growing at the end of puberty, which varies slightly but is typically around the age of 18 for females and 20 for males. When that happens, the growth plates at the end of the largest bones your body will fuse, capping your growth. There are some companies that may claim to be able to reverse this process — not to mention some more drastic medical procedures that can be attempted — the majority of the medical world agrees that the fusion of growth plates suggests that growth has completed.
So … why do supplements claim otherwise?
The way that grow taller supplements claim to work often includes a cocktail of vitamins and minerals that are indeed beneficial, but don’t necessarily promote growth after puberty.
Calcium, for instance, is clearly something that is beneficial to the growth and strength of bones, and it is part of the reason why it’s important for children and teenagers to drink enough milk. Vitamin B12 is another fairly common element that is in grow taller supplements that is absolutely a good thing to get more of, but it won’t guarantee that you’ll get any taller.
There’s also the issue of human growth hormone (HGH), which assists your body in producing more of its own growth hormones. Adding HGH to your daily routine can be effective for people going through puberty, but it won’t do anything for you after you’ve reached your peak height.
Final Thoughts
You’ll no doubt find several supplements on the market today that claim to help with growing taller. Some of them have legitimately beneficial ingredients included, but they aren’t likely to help you achieve what you’re setting out to do.
Many of these supplements offer 30, 60, or 90-day money-back guarantees, so if you feel compelled to give it a shot, be sure that the company that you choose to go with at least offers that insurance.
But don’t expect the supplement to work. Once you’ve reached puberty, you aren’t going to actually grow any taller. There’s a handful of things you can do to help yourself appear slightly taller — improving your posture, doing certain exercises regularly — but you aren’t going to actually add any inches to your height.