How to Increase Growth Hormone for Height with Effective Tips from Our Expert

So what can parents do to help their children grow to their full height potential? Below, we'll share all your options—both medical and natural—on how to increase growth hormone for height and get your kid growing.

Key Takeaways

• Human growth hormone (HGH), or simply growth hormone, is responsible for height growth in children and teenagers.

• Some children have a growth hormone deficiency (GHD), which slows their height growth.

• You can boost HGH levels naturally through regular exercise, getting enough sleep, and healthy nutrition habits, with plenty of protein and limits on sugar and fat.

• A child's healthcare provider may recommend treatment with HGH injections, which can boost your child's growth but may come with side effects like insulin problems, joint and muscle pain, and fluid retention.

Natural Ways to Boost HGH Levels

Human growth hormone (HGH) prompts growth in children all through childhood and their teenage years. But sometimes, kids don't make enough of this or other hormones, and this growth hormone deficiency keeps their height from reaching its full potential, leading to short stature.

As a parent, you may wonder how to increase human growth hormone naturally for height. Your healthcare provider can prescribe treatments for low HGH, but you can also boost its levels through diet and lifestyle choices like exercise, sleep, and intermittent fasting.

Regular Exercise

When a child exercises, their brain's pituitary gland releases HGH in response. Regular exercise provides a steady stream of HGH. In one study, kids who participated in high-intensity exercise saw an even higher HGH spike. Exercise is a key factor in what stimulates the growth hormone and promotes the natural release of HGH.

Adequate Sleep

Sleep is essential for every bodily function, including generating enough growth hormone throughout childhood. Research suggests that during very deep sleep, the brain releases extra HGH, and this peak allows for the growth of long bones. Melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles, may also play a role in HGH production during sleep.

Intermittent Fasting

When your stomach sits empty, your brain releases more growth hormone secretion, especially after 24 hours. Intermittent fasting growth hormone effects can be significant. Intermittent fasting can be done in several ways, one of which prescribes an 8-hour eating window during the day, and a 16-hour fast over sleeping hours. But experts don't know a lot about intermittent fasting's effect on children, so most providers don't recommend it.

Dietary Choices for Enhancing HGH

You can also enhance HGH levels by promoting certain dietary choices. Learning how to increase growth hormone naturally by food is an important step in boosting your child's height potential.

Reduce Sugar Intake

When you eat anything sweet, that turns into sugar in your blood, called glucose. While cakes and candy can boost your blood sugar, so can some carbohydrates, like white bread and pasta. A high amount of sugar in your blood can slow down the release of growth hormone, so it's best to limit sugar in your child's diet.

Eat More Protein

Unlike sugar, healthy protein in your child's diet can stimulate more growth hormone secretion, and even keep HGH levels higher throughout the day. You can find good protein in lean meats, legumes (beans), fish, nuts, seeds, dairy, and soy products.

Stick to Low-Fat

Fat and HGH aren't friends, and when you eat too many fatty foods, they can slow down HGH secretion and lead to growth hormone deficiency. High-fat foods to avoid include red meats, lard, and anything fried or heavily processed.

Consider Amino Acids Supplements

HGH is an amino acid (AA), and taking AA supplements like L-arginine can increase growth hormone levels. Research suggests arginine supplements may prompt more growth hormone secretion. Other amino acids like glutamine and lysine may also play a role in HGH production. 

NuBest offers a few different supplements that include amino acids, like Doctor Taller capsules and NuBest Tall Proteinshakes in chocolate and vanilla. NuBest Tall 10+ is perfect for older kids heading towards puberty. As with all supplements, it's always good to check with your healthcare provider before starting a new one.

Managing Body Composition

Body composition describes how much of your body is made up of anything but fat, like muscles, bones, and water. Your child's body composition can affect how much growth hormone they make.

Decreasing Body Fat

Extra body fat can make growth hormone less effective, and HGH can help improve your fat metabolism, so you lose and redistribute extra fat. But low HGH can be reversed with fat loss. If you need to know how to boost HGH levels, weight loss can be an effective strategy. 

Regularly-Trained Muscles

As you read above, exercise gives growth hormone a boost. But some research suggests resistance training (especially targeting your lower body muscles) can trigger a strong hormonal response with large muscle groups engaged, leading to significant increases in HGH levels immediately after exercise and during recovery periods. 

Another study suggests that upper body workouts of similar intensity can help with HGH production, but whether they are more or less effective than leg training remains inconclusive among experts. In short, building muscle mass could be an effective way to stimulate natural growth hormone production.

HGH Medical Treatment

Aside from natural methods to increase HGH, parents may wonder: how is growth hormone deficiency (GHD) treated? Providers treat it through medical treatment options to boost growth hormone release.

Synthetic Human Growth Hormone Treatment

For your child's growth hormone deficiency, doctors may recommend treatment with a synthetic (manufactured) type of HGH, which is sometimes called recombinant human growth hormone. Synthetic prescription HGH increases growth until a child's bone growth plates have fused. It's important to note that growth hormone abuse can lead to serious health issues, so always follow your doctor's recommendations.

Growth Hormone Stimulation Testing

To check how much HGH your child's brain is releasing, their doctor may want to do a growth hormone stimulation test. Before this test, your child will take a few medications like L-arginine, clonidine, and glucagon to prompt the release of HGH. Then, they will draw blood from your child and check HGH levels in a laboratory. They may also order blood tests for insulin-like growth factor (IGF) to help guide treatment.

Lifestyle Factors Affecting HGH Production

Some lifestyle factors can diminish or boost how your child's body produces HGH, including stress levels, nutrition, and how much they drink throughout the day.

Stress Management

Stress switches your body to survival mode, prompting chemical reactions that put a pause on things like growth. When stress goes on for a long time, it can affect your child's metabolism, cause poor growth, and sometimes their transition through puberty. By decreasing stressors and teaching your kids how to manage their stress well, you can also help them grow better. Some great stress management techniques for children include:

• Breathing exercises like deep breathing, box breathing, and belly breathing

• Physical activity, like playing sports, riding a bike, or jumping rope

• Guided imagery: picturing a calming scene

• Journaling their thoughts, feelings, and experiences from the day

• Voicing thankfulness for at least one thing every day

Balanced Diet and Hydration

What your child eats can affect their growth. The nutrients in different foods provide the building blocks for building muscle and bone. Their nutrition also provides cues to their brain on how much they have to work with to get your child growing. Dehydration—not getting enough to drink throughout the day—can also lead to stunted growth in children. Depending on their age, your child may need different amounts of daily fluid:

• 1 - 3 years old: 4 cups

• 4 - 8 years old: 5 cups

• 9 years and older: 7-8 cups

Potential Risks and Considerations of an HGH Treatment

While HGH treatment can help treat a child's growth hormone deficiency, this option comes with some safety concernsand side effects.

Long-Term Safety of HGH Treatments

When children take HGH longer than a few years, their risk of side effects increases. Long-term treatment also raises the risk for some conditions, like acromegaly, a disorder characterized by excessive growth hormone production.

Increased Risk of Side Effects

HGH treatment side effects are most often seen with long-term use and in people who abuse these treatments. Growth hormone side effects include:

• Insulin problems

• Type 2 diabetes

• Arm and leg swelling

• Pain in the joints and muscles

• Carpal tunnel syndrome

• Fluid retention

• High blood pressure

Your child's provider can help you discuss the risks versus benefits of synthetic HGH treatment and create a treatment plan together.

Consulting Healthcare Providers: Why and When to Do That?

If you feel your child isn't growing as fast as they should be, you've probably tried everything you can to help them grow. Between mealtime pleading and expensive grocery bills, a solution to your child's growth problems may lie heavy on your mind.

When your child sees their healthcare provider, they should do a physical examination, then measure them and weigh them. Then, they compare those measurements to the national average. If your child is low on the scale, possibly pointing to a growth hormone deficiency, they may discuss further options with you, including how to get growth hormone treatments if necessary.

If your child's provider hasn't mentioned poor growth, but you still feel concerned, it's always your right to reach out and ask about their growth rates and your options.

The Role of Growth Hormone in Height: How does HGH affect height?

HGH affects every aspect of growth, including the construction of bones and cartilage. Both of these areas are made up of specialized cells that wait for signals from the body's growth hormone. Once they get the go-ahead from HGH, they can produce more cells and promote growth. As these bones grow, your child's height will increase. Understanding how to increase HGH naturally can be crucial for optimal height development.

What are normal levels of human growth hormone (HGH)?

Normal levels of human growth hormone are highest in children. In adults, normal HGH levels stay between 0.4 to 14 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), while in children, the normal range varies from 10 to 50 ng/mL.

Conclusion

When you notice your child isn't growing well, you have options. If they have a true growth hormone deficiency, your child's healthcare provider may offer human growth hormone injections to boost their height. But if the side effects worry you, you can also try other natural methods for height growth, like nutrition, exercise, and excellent sleep habits. Whatever you choose, your child's provider can help you develop the perfect plan for their healthy growth, which may include strategies on how to increase HGH naturally or through medical interventions.

How we have written and reviewed this article:

Our goal was to address the real worries that parents and growing kids have about physical development and boosting natural growth hormone levels. Our editorial team, armed with medical know-how and parenting experience, combined the latest pediatric health research with their practical parenting insights to create an outline that’s both helpful and down-to-earth. We’ve kept it simple and welcoming, steering clear of confusing jargons, bias, or stereotypes, so everyone can feel included and follow along without any stress.

Our Scientific Advisory Board has also reviewed references, information, and visuals to ensure they meet our editorial standards before the article goes live. That said, this is just solid education to guide you and not a substitute for your doctor’s personalized advice. Plus, we keep things up-to-date with new research, your feedback, or industry shifts, so you’ll always have fresh, trustworthy info when you need it!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Human Growth Hormone (HGH)?

Human growth hormone (HGH) is an hormone which is released from the pituitary gland in the brain and signals the body to grow bones and other tissues. It plays a crucial role in height development, muscle mass increase, and overall body composition.

Can diet and exercise boost HGH levels naturally?

Diet can boost HGH levels naturally by providing the needed nutrients to build strong bones and ligaments. Exercise has also shown a correlation with a boost in HGH levels. Both are effective strategies for how to increase human growth hormone naturally.

Why is it important to consult a healthcare provider before starting HGH therapy?

It's important to consult a healthcare provider before starting HGH therapy to rule out certain medical conditions that could be slowing growth. Your child's provider will also help you develop a treatment plan including HGH therapy if required, and can advise on the best HGH supplements (height growth hormone supplements) if needed.

Why is HGH illegal in the US?

In the United States, a provider can prescribe HGH for growth hormone deficiency, but it's illegal to use it for building muscle or as an anti-aging treatment. This is to prevent growth hormone abuse and ensure its use only for legitimate medical purposes.

Sources

1. Isolated growth hormone deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/isolated-growth-hormone-deficiency/

2. Vaivada T, Akseer N, Akseer S, Somaskandan A, Stefopulos M, Bhutta ZA. Stunting in childhood: an overview of global burden, trends, determinants, and drivers of decline. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(Suppl 2):777S-791S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa159

3. Physiology, Growth Hormone - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482141 /

4. Horne BD, Anderson JL, May HT, et al. Insulin resistance reduction, intermittent fasting, and human growth hormone: secondary analysis of a randomized trial. npj Metab Health Dis. 2024;2(1):1-9. doi:10.1038/s44324-024-00025-2

5. Dror N, Pantanowitz M, Nemet D, Eliakim A. High-intensity interval exercise test stimulates growth hormone secretion in children. Growth Horm IGF Res. 2021;57-58:101388. doi:10.1016/j.ghir.2021.101388