What can I do to get taller?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 21 year old female student with great interest in human growth. More specifically, growth in height, as in getting taller. As learned from textbooks, teenagers stop growing around 18 to 21 years old. Well, I have always been optimistic about everything, and I refuse to believe that our growth is limited to a certain age. There are some recent articles that highlighted growth after 21 or 22 years, and this really gives hope to people with height issue, including me. I know that genetic plays more than 80 % of our growth. I am 5 feet tall, and I had my period when I was 10 years old. I gained only 0.3 to 0.6 inch a year since 12 years old. Based on health record, I gained only about 1.9 inch. My dad is 5.5 feet and my mom is 5.4 feet tall.

Can I still gain some height? I assumed yes because we now know there are other bigger suns outside of our galaxy and the astronaut did not stop searching when they landed on the moon decades ago. How can I maximize my growth? What are the causes of my lack of growth? What are the factors that stop human growth? Can you give me any other information? I am about to conduct a personal experiment (with precautions) on myself to see if I can gain 2 inches in three years. I am hoping that with proper rest, nutrition, and physical activities will maximize my growth. There will be no height enhancement pills involved so, I really need to study from you guys. If you are still reading, then I thank you very much for spending your time to read my little obsession. I know there is an attitude in my writing, so please do not mind me, I am born bold.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I just read your detailed information and would like to answer your query one by one.

Unfortunately, not anymore. You cannot gain any more height now. You can maximize your growth only horizontally and not vertically now. That means you can only gain muscle or fat but not gain height. The causes of lack of growth in you after 20 years would be due to the maturation of your long bones. The factors that stop human growth is the fusion of the growth plates in each bone usually by 16 to 17 years in girls. You are having constitutional short stature. Your height depends upon your mid-parental height and there is a formula to calculate it for girls: [maternal height + (paternal height – 7 inches)] / 2, so you should have attained 5.1 feet, and you are 5.0 feet now so not that short as per predicted height of yours.

Hope you find my advice of some benefit. Good luck.