Short parents, can children reach good height?

(Dan Tri) - Genetics only determines 50% of height. Proper nutrition, sleep and exercise can help children grow taller than expected.

In today's society, height is not only considered a physical factor but also reflects the health, nutrition and quality of life of children.

According to specialist doctor II Le Thanh Binh, Deputy Head of the Department of Nephrology - Endocrinology, City Children's Hospital, a child's growth process is a long journey, requiring proper attention from parents.

If you miss the golden period or do not recognize early signs of abnormalities, improving height later will be much more difficult.

Factors affecting children's height

According to Dr. Binh, a child's height is influenced by many factors, of which genetics contributes about half. The other half comes from nutrition, sleep, exercise and health status.

Nutrition is the most important foundation. Children need to be provided with four groups of nutrients: protein, fat, starch, vegetables and fruits. A deficiency in any group will affect the development of the skeletal system.

Nutrition is the most important factor in promoting children's height (Photo: Unsplash).

In addition, sleep plays an irreplaceable role. Growth hormone is secreted most at night, especially during deep sleep. If children lack sleep, sleep late or have intermittent sleep, the body will miss the "golden hour" for height growth.

Physical exercise is also key to stimulating the musculoskeletal system, supporting the body's comprehensive development.

In many cases, the cause of slow growth comes from endocrine factors. Children who lack thyroid hormone or growth hormone secreted by the pituitary gland will have difficulty reaching the expected height. This condition can be detected when parents take their children to see a specialist.

Doctor Binh noted that children grow fastest in height in two stages: the first 5 years of life and puberty.

At birth, babies are usually about 50cm long. In the first year, they can grow up to 25cm. From 1 to 5 years old, the growth rate fluctuates around 10cm/year.

From age 5 to pre-puberty, growth slows down to about 4-5cm/year. But when entering puberty, children have a "breakthrough", which can reach 8-10cm/year.

"To assess the growth rate of their child's height, parents should measure their height periodically, usually every 4-6 months. If the growth rate is below 4cm/year in boys and below 4.5cm/year in girls, it is a sign that height growth is slower than normal.

Parents should consider taking their children to see a doctor to check if they have growth hormone deficiency," Dr. Binh emphasized.

Parents should measure their child's height every 4-6 months to assess their child's growth rate (Photo: Stocksy)

Short parents, can children have good height?

Answering the question "If parents are short, can their children have good height?", Dr. Binh emphasized that genetics only determines about 50%. The next generation tends to be taller than the previous generation, mainly due to nutrition and lifestyle.

In addition, Dr. Binh said that parents should not compare their children's height with that of their peers. Instead, they should compare their current height and their previous height.

In addition to height, parents should not be too obsessed with their child's weight. Doctor Binh explains that weight is a factor that is easily changed due to external factors and does not accurately reflect long-term nutritional status.

"Meanwhile, height is an important factor in assessing long-term nutrition. If a child has good height and average or normal weight for their age, we should focus on height. If height increases steadily and appropriately, it is a sign of good nutrition," the doctor recommended.

To help children grow taller, according to Dr. Binh, parents need to pay attention to three basic factors.

The first is balanced nutrition. In addition to ensuring adequate protein intake from meat, fish, eggs, and milk, children also need green vegetables and fruits to supplement vitamins and minerals. Doctors also recommend supplementing children with vitamin D3. This is an essential nutrient that helps absorb calcium, but the daily diet often does not provide enough.

Second is sleep. Young children need 10-12 hours of sleep a day, older children 8-10 hours. Parents should limit their children's exposure to blue light from phones and televisions before bedtime, and create a quiet, cool environment for more uninterrupted sleep.

Third is exercise. Children need to run and play sports outdoors instead of sitting in one place for long periods of time. It doesn’t matter what sport, as long as they maintain regular, long-term exercise, it will help stimulate growth.

In fact, many parents take good care of their children but still find that they are short and grow slowly. At this point, taking the child to see a specialist is necessary.

Dr. Binh emphasized that early examination helps to eliminate the cause of the disease and provide timely intervention. In particular, in cases of growth hormone deficiency, hormone injections lasting 5-7 years can bring about clear results, helping children catch up with their peers.

According to the latest statistics, the average height of Vietnamese men is now 168.1cm, while that of women is 156.2cm. Compared to a decade ago, young Vietnamese men have increased by 3.7cm, while women have increased by 2.6cm.

In Southeast Asia, Vietnamese people's height is now behind Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Ten years ago, Vietnam was near the bottom of the region, only taller than Indonesia and the Philippines.

Based on research by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, the average height of Vietnamese people ranks 153/201 countries and territories in the world .

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/bo-me-thap-con-co-the-dat-chieu-cao-tot-khong-20250903120558372.htm