There are two little things that I think is a HUGE reason many kids are not growing very tall anymore. This is a wide spread thing, the taller kids really stand out within each age as there are less and less of them. The good news is that these things can do something about! Week 4- yes I decided to add one more week and provide all the solutions next week!
There are always exceptions, but it is important to know that these are the mechanisms at work in humans.
First, I have a suspicion that screen use in the evening is also affecting growth. Ideally for 2 full hours before bedtime, child have zero minutes of screen time or blue light exposure. (Any screen, tablet, computer, kindle, chrome book, phone. TV, video games, etc.) When children are receiving this blue light into their brains before bedtime it affects the bodies ability to grow. Screen light, specifically blue light emitted from devices, suppresses melatonin production, which disrupts the sleep architecture necessary for growth hormone release
“The mechanism is well documented. Screens emit blue-spectrum light — wavelengths in the 460–480 nm range — that the retina interprets as daylight. This signal travels to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain’s master clock, which then suppresses melatonin production. Melatonin is the chemical signal that tells the body it is dark, it is safe to rest, and the nightly repair cycle can begin. The relationship between blue light, melatonin, and children’s sleep is especially significant because children’s lenses are clearer than adults’, allowing more blue light to reach the retina and producing a stronger suppression effect at the same screen brightness.
Without adequate melatonin, children take longer to fall asleep, spend less time in deep sleep, and wake more easily during the night. Each of those outcomes reduces the total window in which growth hormone can be secreted. Pediatric sleep researchers have observed that even 30 to 60 minutes of evening screen exposure can shift a child’s melatonin onset by 40 minutes or more — a meaningful loss on a school night when morning alarms are fixed.”
“Chronically blunted overnight growth hormone pulses may contribute to a slower height velocity than the child’s genetic potential would otherwise allow.”
READ THAT SENTENACE AGAIN!!
The repeated blue light exposure CAN OVERRIDE GENETIC POTENTIAL?!?! (Yes, I am totally yelling this)
I did some digging and found this article, some quotes above, that confirm my suspicion. HERE
This is from a Dr. who specializes in growth in South Korea and it is no secret that they have major screen issues and addictions in the Asian countries. The west will follow if we don’t be proactive on this front.
Second thing, equally as important is the Vitamin A and E partnership. First all, Vitamin A is responsible for growth. “Vitamin A is required for the development and growth for all types of cells, and hence all organs and tissues.” This is real vitamin A, found in animal products, not Beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Some people, have a genetic mutation that doesn’t allow for this conversion -carotene to A) and small children and infants cannot make this conversion well. Just skip that step and give them the animal products with Vitamin A and you don’t have to worry about it. “Clinically, supplementation in short children increased nighttime growth hormone secretion.” “Vitamin A has an important role in the sexual development of both females and males. Deficiency can delay puberty and restrict the rapid growth that normally accompanies this stage in life.” One might wonder how this deficiency could relate to a palate that is not wide enough for the adult teeth to fit in? What if we looked at that issue differently?
But, it goes further. Another factor that could be contributing is the consumption of commercially fried foods. Items fried in industrial seed oils cause the body to release toxic aldehydes. “Aldehydes create a cell-localized deficiency of Vitamin A and they require the body to use a lot of Vitamin E to limit their damaging oxidation.” “Studies show that the relationship of Vitamins A and E in children highlighted the importance of maintaining optimal vitamin E status to support Vitamin A status.” So, what this means, is first if the child is not eating enough Vitamin A already this could absolutely impact their growth and secondly, if they eat a lot of fried foods, it takes their already low level of A and lowers it even more.
BINGO!
In this decade more kids than ever before are using hours and hours of screened devices and eating more fast food than previous generations of children…. EVER! If we are not careful we will have a recipe for shorter generations than previous decades. This multi-factor problem will absolutely affect the human species.
But don’t despair! Next week, we will talk about what we can do to help provide our children a great childhood and the building blocks to build strong bodies.
Resources: The two articles quoted above are: HERE and the Spring 2026 of the Westin A Price Foundation Quarterly Journal, article on Vitmain A.
