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EBI Bone Healing System, Another Non-Invasive Bone Growth Stimulation Device

biomet ebi bone healing systemThis device which I found from the BIOMET company’s website is another device that has bone regeneration and bone growth abilities.

EBI Bone Healing System®

Clinically Effective

  • The most studied non-invasive bone growth stimulation device on the market1
  • Heal rates as high as 92%2
  • 2 ½ months earlier healing3
  • 75% of Biomet customers are repeat prescribers4

Scientifically Proven

  • Pre-clinical studies state PEMF has a reproducible osteogenic effect in vitro and simultaneously induces naturally occuring BMP-2 and BMP-45
  • In vivo and in vitro pre-clinical studies demonstrated PEMF exposure more than doubled the rate of angiogenesis6

Cost Efficient

  • According to a published, peer-reviewed study, electrical stimulation was shown to be more cost efficient when compared to no stimulation or LIPUS for the treatment of nonunions7

Analysis & Interpretation:

What a person needs to understand is that if one really thinks that all it takes to lengthen bone is to have a non-invasive bone growth stimulation device, this would be it. The device seems to be something a patient with a broken leg aka fracture on their long bones would wear like a brace. The way the electrical field would be generated and interact with the broken bone would result in accelerated bone healing time.

If a person thinks they just need a bone growth stimulation device, they can try this and put it on their leg and wear it for a few months and check to see whether the one leg they have been wearing it on increased slightly more in length compared to the contralateral leg used as control.

For more information or to see the scientific studies and articles written about the idea that PEMF technology does indeed work, I copy and pasted all of the studies that was referenced below for any researcher’s convenience.

1. Data on file at Biomet Spine & Bone Healing Technologies, most published studies as of 9/7/2012

2. Frykman, G.K., Taleisnik, J., Peters, G., Kaufman, R., Helal, B., Wood, V.E., and Unsell, R.S. Treatment of nonunited scaphoid fractures by pulsed electromagnetic field and cast. J Hand Surg Am, 1986. 11(3): p. 344-9.*

3. Murray, H and Pethica, B. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Therapy and Fracture Management: An Analysis of the Time to Heal Data. 2012. Data on file at Biomet Spine and Bone Healing Technologies. Disclaimer: Funding for this study was provided by EBI, LLC, d/b/a Biomet Spine and Bone Healing Technologies

4. Data on file at Biomet Spine & Bone Healing Technologies

5. Bodamyali T, Bhatt B, Hughes FJ,Winrow VR, Kanczler JM, Simon B, Abbott J, Blake DR and Stevens CR. Pulsing electromagnetic fields simultaneously induce osteogenesis and upregulate transcription of bonemorphogenetic proteins 2 and 4 in rat osteoblasts in vitro. BiochemBiophys Res Commun 250:458-461, 1998. Disclaimer: Following non invasive electrical stimulation, increases in multiple growth factors have been observed in various pre-clinical in vitro cellular and in vivo animal studies. Although not indicative of human clinical results, these factors have been implicated in various models of bone repair.*

6. Tepper OM, Chang EI, Baharestani S, Galiano RD, Bhatt KA, Hopper RA, Heitman DE, Simon BJ, Gan JC, Levine JP and Gurtner GC. Electromagnetic fields increase in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis through a FGF-mediated VEGF independent mechanism. Submitted to FASEB. Disclaimer: Following non invasive electrical stimulation, increases in multiple growth factors have been observed in various pre-clinical in vitro cellular and in vivo animal studies. Although not indicative of human clinical results, these factors have been implicated in various models of bone repair.*

7. Burden of Illness among Patients Experiencing Bone Fracture Nonunion report, Prepared by Ning Wu, PhD, Yuan-Chi Daisy Lee, MS, Alan Wang, BS, Luke Boulanger, MA, MBA, United BioSource Corporation Copy on file at BS&BHT. Disclaimer: Funding for this study was provided by EBI, LLC, d/b/a Biomet Spine and Bone Healing Technologies

Endogenous Retinoic Acid Negatively Regulates Growth Plate Chondrogenesis And Longitudinal Growth

One compound that I had read about from the very beginning of the research for the website was the fact that there was a type of acid known as retinoic acid which might have certain properties and functions which involved limb regeneration in amphibians, fish, and reptiles. I wanted to go back to look slightly deeper on the function of retinoic acid to see whether it had any potential to be a chondrogenic stimulant and could induce something similar to what we see in deer antler regeneration and the antler longitudinal growth. My hope is to find studies which suggest that the retinoic acid can stimulate chondrocyte proliferation and/or chondrocyte hypertrophy.

These are the PubMed studies I have found which shows the connection between the function of retinoic acid and chondrogenesis.

Study #1: Retinoic acid is a potent regulator of growth plate chondrogenesis.

  • Endocrinology. 2000 Jan;141(1):346-53.
  • De Luca F, Uyeda JA, Mericq V, Mancilla EE, Yanovski JA, Barnes KM, Zile MH, Baron J.
  • Source: Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
  • fdeluca@peds.umaryland.edu
  • PMID: 10614657

Abstract

Vitamin A deficiency and excess both cause abnormalities in mammalian longitudinal bone growth. Because all-trans retinoic acid (RA) is synthesized from vitamin A, we hypothesized that RA regulates growth plate chondrogenesis. Consistent with this hypothesis, a single oral dose of RA reduced the height of the rat proximal tibial growth plate. To determine whether RA acts directly on growth plate, fetal rat metatarsal bones were cultured in the presence of RA. In this system, RA inhibited longitudinal bone growth by three mechanisms: 1) decreased chondrocyte proliferation, (assessed by 3H-thymidine incorporation), particularly in the proliferative zone of the growth plate; 2) decreased matrix synthesis (assessed by 35SO4 incorporation into glycosaminoglycans); and 3) decreased cell hypertrophy (determined histologically). The growth-inhibiting effects of RA were completely reversed by a retinoic acid receptor (RAR) antagonist. In the absence of exogenous RA, this antagonist accelerated bone growth, as did an RA-specific neutralizing antibody, suggesting that endogenous RA negatively regulates growth plate chondrogenesis. We conclude that RA, acting through RARs, negatively regulates longitudinal bone growth by inhibiting growth plate chondrocyte proliferation, chondrocyte hypertrophy, and matrix synthesis.

Study #2: Retinoic acid induces rapid mineralization and expression of mineralization-related genes in chondrocytes.

  • Exp Cell Res. 1993 Aug;207(2):413-20.
  • Iwamoto M, Shapiro IM, Yagami K, Boskey AL, Leboy PS, Adams SL, Pacifici M.
  • Source
  • Department of Anatomy-Histology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6003.
  • PMID: 8344389

Abstract

Numerous studies of experimental hypo- and hypervitaminosis A have long suggested that retinoic acid (RA) is involved in chondrocyte maturation during endochondral ossification and skeletogenesis. However, the specific and direct roles of RA in these complex processes remain unclear. Based on recent studies from our laboratories, we tested the hypothesis that RA induces the expression of genes associated with the terminal mineralization phase of chondrocyte maturation and promotes apatite deposition in the extracellular matrix. Cell populations containing chondrocytes at advanced stages of maturation were isolated from the upper portion of Day 18 chick embryo sterna and grown for 2 weeks in monolayer until confluent. The cells were then treated with low doses (10-100 nM) of RA for up to 6 days in the presence of a phosphate donor (beta-glycerophosphate) but in the absence of ascorbic acid. Within 4 days of treatment, RA dramatically induced expression of the alkaline phosphatase (APase), osteonectin, and osteopontin genes, caused a several-fold increase in APase activity, and provoked massive mineral formation while it left type X collagen gene expression largely unchanged. The mineral had a mean Ca/Pi molar ratio of 1.5; Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed that it represented hydroxyapatite. Mineralization was completely abolished by treatment with parathyroid hormone; this profound effect confirmed that RA induced cell-mediated mineralization and not nonspecific precipitation. When cultures were treated with both RA and ascorbic acid, there was a slight further increase in APase activity and increased calcium accumulation. The effects of RA were also studied in cultures of immature chondrocytes isolated from the caudal portion of sternum; however, RA only had minimal effects on mineralization and gene expression in these cells. Thus, RA appears to be a rapid, potent, maturation-dependent, ascorbate-independent promoter of terminal maturation and matrix calcification in chondrocytes.


Analysis & Interpretation:

From the 1st study, the first thing that really stands out is that the researchers note that both too much and too little vitamin A results in mammalian bone longitudinal growth abnormalities. It seems that Vitamin A is the precursor for retinoic acids, in all of its many variations. The researchers hypothesized that retinoic acid would inhibit long bone longitudinal growth. It seems that just 1 oral dose of the RA by a lab rate resulted in thinner growth plates. It seems that the RA decreased chondrocyte proliferation, hypertrophy, and cartilage extracellular matrix formation. What is the big discovery to us as height increase researchers is what the abstract says next…

“The growth-inhibiting effects of RA were completely reversed by a retinoic acid receptor (RAR) antagonist. In the absence of exogenous RA, this antagonist accelerated bone growth, as did an RA-specific neutralizing antibody, suggesting that endogenous RA negatively regulates growth plate chondrogenesis”

This is a major discovery. It seems that if we can get exogenous RAR close to the growth plates, the longitudinal growth of the long bones can be accelerated. It seems that the RA actually acts through the RAR though. So any endogenous RA will have this effect. This means that since the balance of RA and RAR in the human body is important to keep the bones from being completely inhibited or growth uncontrollably, the concentrations of RA and RAR is kept at a sort of metastatic equilibirum. I would then suggest that we get an exogenous source of RAR which we apply close to the growth plates through injection, or even taken orally can possibly lead to the growth plates having accelerated lengthening and growth.

As for study #2, the researchers state the same initial hypothesis as made by the researchers of study #1. The Retinoic acid causes endochondral ossification to mature aka stop. For their specific study, …

“…we tested the hypothesis that RA induces the expression of genes associated with the terminal mineralization phase of chondrocyte maturation and promotes apatite deposition in the extracellular matrix…”

Chondrocytes were extracted from the chest cartilage of days old chicken. They were grown in a monolayer until they became confluent. The cells were then treated with low doses of RA for 6 days. After 4 days it seems that the chondrocytes showed a very high increase in the expression of alkaline phosphatase,osteonectin, and osteopontin genes. There was a huge accumulation of mineral formation. When the mineral that was formed was testing, it was concluded that the mineral was hydroxyapatite. What is even more interesting is how the researchers made the mineralization go away….

“Mineralization was completely abolished by treatment with parathyroid hormone;…”

It seems that by using the PTH, the researchers made the mineralized hard material of calcium deposits aka hydroxyapatite dissolve.

So the researchers concluded that…

“…this profound effect confirmed that RA induced cell-mediated mineralization and not nonspecific precipitation…”

It seems that if you take the RA with ascorbic acid, there is an even higher level of alkaline phosphatase release or expression and the mineralization and calcification increased too.

What is really strange twist is that if we then take non-mature chondrocytes, the RA injections seem to not have as dramatic of an effect on them as the mature chondrocytes. It would seem that “fresh” chondrocytes don’t get mineralized as easily as mature chondrocytes.

The researchers conclude with this statement which puts the nail on the coffin on the debate on how retinoic acid would effect chondrocytes and growth plates.

“…Thus, RA appears to be a rapid, potent, maturation-dependent, ascorbate-independent promoter of terminal maturation and matrix calcification in chondrocytes.”

Turning This Project Into A Legacy, Beyond Profit And Currency

This website is so big now with almost 900 posts and I have so many things to do that I feel very overwhelmed a lot in recent months. This project has become too large for me to do everything. That is why I don’t plan to put too much energy on finishing the website layout or design just yet. I am looking at this website/project for the long term.

In the last few months I have had to travel extensively for personal reasons and for my businesses and professional projects. However I have gotten back into the pace of things since coming back to the country, I will be producing posts much more freqeuntly now since a lot of my old obligations are done.

There may come a point in my research where everything will be completely researched, from the academic and theoretical perspective. I am sure that at this rate of research everything will be finished in 3-4  years. After that it will come down to the practical application of the information I have been reading and researching.

There will be a day when no more research will be possible. When that day comes, I will go back to old, previous post, rewrite them to polish up the content, grammar, stream of logic, to make it easier to read for future readers. I want to make every single section of the website easy to understand, navigate, and reach. All the information a person would ever need can be found on this one single website.

I plan to get many things done and write many posts which I have always wanted to write about. I still need to get the website speed for uploading increased, create multiple saved files for the website, develop a forum or message board, increase the library, edit other sections, delete spam, answer emails, and add more podcast episodes.

I had said that I would never monetize the website but the amount of work I have put in has now definitely crossed the 2000 hour mark. I want to fund the website in many ways and turn it into a passive form of cash flow so that it can at least pay for itself and the hosting and registering fees. There are fees for the podcasting hosting, the website hosting, the registration, and the email listing program monthly. Yes, I am breaking many of the sacred oaths I had talked about long ago but the website is becoming so much bigger than I have ever hoped it would be. I can not fund everything alone to operate the website for the long term. I need outside help.

I think I have said this many times before but I will say this one more time. This website is something that I will be leaving as my own legacy. When people search the internet even 10 years from now, they will still find this website which they can use as a useful guide to answer any questions they might have about trying to increase their height and grow taller.

This endeavor is what I plan to be working on part time for many years to come. This website will be around, and I will not take it down until I have written up a real complete book on all of my discoveries and research for later visitors to buy and use as a reference for any type of research they would want to do themselves.

Can Casein Phosphopeptide Or Glycerol Monolaurate Lead To An Increase In Height And Help Children Grow Taller?

A few compounds that I recently found which one can find in baby formulas enhanced with non-natural compounds are two elements…

  • Casein Phosphopeptide
  • Glycerol Monolaurate

Ever since I did research on the compound Colostrum and showed that this critical element found in human breast milk may help optimize baby and infant growth rate in the post “The Connection Between Colostrum, Growth, And Height (Important)” I have wondered what other critical elements in the natural human breast milk are critical for optimal growth in developing children.

These two new compounds seem to have the same eventual effects as the colostrum from a very quick first impression. I wanted to go a little deeper on the research of these two compounds to see what they have the potential to help growing children increase or at least optimize their growth potential.

With colostrum, I had list in the previous post that it had all the following important growth factors…

  • – Interleukins
  • – Cytokines
  • – IGF-1
  • – IGF-2
  • – TGF-alpha
  • – TGF- beta 1
  • – TGF- beta 2
  • – FGFs
  • – VEGFs
  • – Platelet Derived Growth Factors
  • – granulocyte-macrophage-stimulating growth factor
  • – Epidermal Growth Factors

This made the colostrum very likely to be a powerful growth stimulator. It might be possible that the Casein Phosphopeptide and Glycerol Monolaurate can function with Colostum in a mutually beneficial way to make endochondral ossification occur faster.

So let’s see what other internet sources say about Casein Phosphopeptide.

From ArlaFoodsIngredients.com

Casein phosphopeptide (CPP) is proven to enhance mineral absorption from food and beverage products, improving consumers’ overall uptake of important minerals such as calcium.

A bioactive peptide produced during casein digestion, CPP acts by forming a complex with soluble calcium. This means more calcium is maintained in the small intestine, facilitating absorption.

Functional foods

When tested, CPP addition with a calcium supplement resulted in significantly increased calcium absorption. Research suggests that CPP acts in a similar way with other minerals, such as zinc. 
Studies have also shown that CPP is able to improve oral hygiene.

Analysis: 

So it seem that Casein Phosphopeptide helps increase the absorption of Calcium just like Vitamin D. Not only Calcium, it seems that Casein might help other mineral to be absorbed by the ingested person’s system.

From Wikipedia it seems that another name for Casein Phosphopeptide is Recaldent. From the Wikipedia article on Recaldent…

“…amorphous calcium phosphate, or CPP-ACP, is a milk-derived product that strengthens and remineralizes teeth and helps prevent dental caries (tooth decay). Casein phosphopeptides (CPP) from the major protein of milk have the ability to stabilize calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions as water soluble amorphous complexes that provide bioavailable calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions to the tooth…”

This compounds would sound like many of the ingredient one might find from a Internet Marketed Height Increase supplement or pill. The liquid version or powder form of calcium phosphate has been found in most grow taller pills I have researched. It would not surprise me if the calcium phosophate used was actually Casein Phosphopeptide. However most of the Internet Sold Grow Taller Supplements and Pills with the Calcium Phosphate is almost always marketed to children and developing people with open plates. Would the increased Calcium absorption ability of Casein actually then help children become slightly taller? Maybe.

From the Wikipedia article on Recaldent or Casein, it seems that this compound can actually heal or reverse cavities in teeth. So we can say that the compound is a bone growth or fracture healing compound. Somehow the Casein can replace the calcium and phosphate ions that are lost due to tooth decay leading to cavities in the early stage.

From the PubMed studies “Fluoride and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate.” and “Increased remineralization of tooth enamel by milk containing added casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate.” and “Consumption of milk with added casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate remineralizes enamel subsurface lesions in situ.” we see that the Calcium Phosphate that is Casein does help teeth become remineralized and enamel sub-surfaces are greatly improved.

Conclusion:

There is a lot of supporting studies and evidence to show that for small cavities, the Casein can actually heal them and remineralize the fractured tooth. Teeth/ Oral health improves more than just using Flouride or Milk. The thing then to ask is whether Calcium Phosphate by itself can help make the process of endochondral ossification increase the length of bone faster. It would be the same thing as asking whether Vitamin D which does a similar function can help young developing children potentially grow taller and increase the growth rate.

At this point, I would say that for children who don’t get enough nutrition, food, or Vitamin D in their diet, like in India or poorer developed nations, the Casein can indeed help increase the rate of Calcium Absorption leading to greater bone lengthening while the child is still growing. Only in situations where kids are likely to have stunted growth from malnutrition would casein be effective in increasing the growth rate of children, but its effectiveness is indeed there.

So what about the Glycerol Monolaurate?

From Wikipedia, it seems that the compound Glycerol Monolaurate goes by many other names, including Monolaurin, glyceryl laurate or 1-Lauroyl-rac-glycerol. To make the compound, you need lauric acid and glycerol and the compound is an ester.

From wikipedia…

Uses

Monolaurin is most commonly used as a surfactant in cosmetics, such as deodorants. As a food additive it is also used as an emulsifier.

Occurrence

In the human body, lauric acid is converted into monolaurin. Monolaurin is found in coconut oil and human breast milk.

Pharmacology

Monolaurin has antibacterial and other antimicrobial effects in vitro. It may therefore be useful in the treatment or prevention of various infections, but its clinical usefulness has not been established.

Analysis:

From just a first glance at the compound it seem to be similar to the compound Quercetin which I have looked at before. The fact that it is used as an emulsifier and is put on the top of deodorants as a surfactant. From the citied study entitled “Coconut Oil – Ideal Fat next only to Mother’s Milk (Scanning Coconut’s Horoscope)” by B M Hegde it seems that the monolaurin can be found in abundance in coconut oil. The benefits are that it is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. As the writer B M Hegde writes in the article….

Little over 50% of coconut oil is medium chain fatty acid, Lauric acid and another 7 – 10% is a medium chain Capric acid. Lauric acid gets converted inside the human system into Monolaurins– the best fat that mother’s milk has..

Other than mother’s milk, monolaurins are found only in coconut oil. New born babies and infants depend on the monolaurins for their immune system development and their capacity to withstand any infection. In addition, coconut oil can be digested by the salivary lipase, getting absorbed very fast to give energy like carbohydrates. All other fats need the pancreatic lipase for digestion that the infants do not have. The best alternative food fat for the infant when mother’s milk is not available is coconut oil (in baby foods).

In additon, from PubMed study “Effect of glycerol monolaurate on bacterial growth and toxin production.” and “Modulation of immune cell proliferation by glycerol monolaurate.” and “The effect of glycerol monolaurate on growth of, and production of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 and lipase by, Staphylococcus aureus.” we are finding that the Monolaurin has the ability to disrupt Staph infection and seem to boost immune cell proliferation.

So what does this mean for children who want to try out these compounds to increase their height?

The glyerol monlaurate has no ability to make endochondral ossification increase or make chondrocyte proliferate but it does have multiple abilities to decrease bacteria and infection in developing babies and infants. Since growth in humans is at the highest levels right after birth, during the 1-3 years, it would make sense that to help optimize growth potential and decrease any chances of stunted growth from infections and illness, any compound like Monolaurin which fights virus, bacteria, etc. which decreases longitudinal growth would help increase longitudinal growth.

This means that for children, the casein phosphopeptide and glyecrol monolaurate both have effects which would help children optimize their growth, whether it is from lack of nutrition or illness, respectively. The effects of these compounds would be most effective for younger children, especially infants, and for infants born in developing nations.

Does Eating A Vegetarian Or Vegan Diet Lead To A Shorter Height?

In many of my former posts I had talked about the importance of getting a lot of protein for developing children to optimize their growth potential. Since the easiest way to obtain protein for humans is to eat meat, does that automatically mean that eating a vegetarian or vegan diet lead to a shorter height?

The research is inconclusive on this point although there is evidence to lean towards the side that says meat eating leads to slightly higher final height. Most people when asked this question would lean towards the side in believing that people who eat meat are likely to end up taller than their vegetarian counterparts.

However I would like to point out that the largest land animals on earth as well as on earth’s history have all been plant eaters. The male African Elephant has been recorded to be around 10-13 feet at their shoulder length. The giraffe, the tallest land animal today, which grows up to 18-20 feet tall is also a plant eater. Then we look at the horse, an animal we are more likely to see and note that the horse’s shoulder height is usually around the level of the human shoulder, but the neck pushes the overall horse’s height to be much taller than humans.

When we look at the example of the dinosaurs we note that the large meat eaters could grow to be a few dozen tons and be even 25 feet tall. However then we see the herbivores in comparison and see that they can be 60 feet tall and almost 100 tons in weight. It seems that from history and looking at the largest animals on earth, being a plant eater causes the species to end up bigger over long periods of time.

If we look at it this way, from a more evolutionary and ecological perspective, we could say that for animals in general, through multiple generations, the plant eaters can end up being larger than the meat eaters over time. It is well accepted that meat eaters being higher of the food chain would need to eat much more plant eater’s flesh than there was around. If the meat eater got too big, it would need to eat much more and probably would die from not being able to eat enough food in terms of weight to keep it alive. It is not sustainable.

However if we changed the way we view the vegetarian to just humans, and just looked at each individual during their single lifetimes, we can see that it seems the reverse phenomena is occurring.

When we get more proteins in the body, there is a higher level of creation of body building proteins. Proteins is what a huge portion of our bodies are made of. The building block of proteins are known as amino acids which get connected in strands and branches. The amino acids all have a nitrogen element in the center. So it seems that the major building block in animals is the nitrogen element. This element is also important as the needed element to make fertilizer for nutrition for plants. The plants grows bigger from absorbing the fertilizer. The plants we eat have a compound known as cellulose which is something our human bodies can not completely digest.

In many agriculture based civilization through history, there have been droughts and famine and this meant that the grain was more likely to be available than meat. It is also easier to pick vegetables and fruit which doesn’t move than to catch fish, rabbits, or boars which run and swim away when we try to catch them. So for many people in nations like Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, China, etc. it would be more likely that poorer people would be fed with bread, corn, rice, potatoes, onions, etc. than pig and fish. There is plenty of studies which show that poorer individuals in a society are usually shorter on average than the people who are more well off. This also means that they were not eating as much meat as they high class since meat has been for so long been considered a luxury item in most ancient agricultural societies.

With the explosion of human population after humans figured out how to settle down in one place instead of being hunters and gathers, the main source of food to feed the expanding population was grains which is made of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are in essence different types of sugars aka saccarides or starches like Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose, which get converted to glycogen, which is the first source of energy in the human body.

In the traditional food pyramid it was suggested that the food group one should get the most portions is the grains and starches like bread, pasta, rices, wheat, etc. but in recent years there is evidence from the Paleo Diet movement that believes that human health, size, and longevity actually dropped from the agricultural revolution. People in the Paleo Diet camp believe that the Neolithic diet from farming created people with smaller bodies than the Paleolithic diet which was focused on gathering berries, leaves, fruits, and hunting down animals for meat.

So from all this introductory discussion, do people who eat a vegetarians or vegan diet lead to shorter height?

Well, one thing that is probably well backed up is the fact that vegetarians tend to be thinner than their meat eating counter-parts. Their BMI is lower. Many articles on the internet seem to agree with this point.

For the individual who is still growing, the need to get enough nutrients is critical. Since humans can’t break down the cellulose in plants in their digestive system, they can’t really extract the nitrogen and amino acids that would form the basic component of plants. The nitrogen would have to come from other sources. Beans and it derivative the tofu has been used by vegetarians to get their source of protein. Other sources include legumes (peanuts), nuts, chickpeas, eggs, fish, etc.

I guess the answer would be that it depends on the type of vegetarian the person becomes. If the individual is the type of vegetarian who accepts the idea of getting milk, eggs, and fish into their diet but avoids the red meats and chicken, then they would not have any decreased final height relative to a lifestyle eating meat.

If the person is a vegan, which is defined as a person who abstains from eating any products that are derived from animals, then they would have to reject milk, and it s derivatives like cheese, butter, etc. and eggs, the unborn young of chickens and other bird like animals. Fish would also not be allowed. To survive and get enough proteins, the vegan compensates by finding the alternative sources of protein like soy based foods, tofu, beans, etc. They do survive from eating the vegan diet but do they get enough protein to be able to reach the same ultimate height as their meat eating counterparts if every other factor is held constant?

There is evidence to show that the process of longitudinal growth in the bones and the human stage of development of growth, but especially during the puberty stage, requires the body to go into massive energy source usage rates. This is noticeable for parents who might have teenage males who seem to stop eating when they son is in middle school or early high school years. It is not surprising for teenage males to be able to eat 3-4 big meals a day when the body requires extra energy and resources to be able to sustain the type of accelerated longtudinal growth during puberty. Where the average height gain in American males is around 1.5-2 inches/year before puberty, during puberty that increase in height gain be as high as 3-4 inches/year.

An analogy is the extra amount of energy needed to turn the element of water in the transition from one phase to another. When water is just in one phase, to increase the temperature of water, extra energy at a linear rate is introduced heating the water. Once the water reaches a certain point (temperature), for it to change from liquid to gas, an extra quantified amount of energy must go in before the liquid changes to gas, while the temperature of the system stays the same.

Similarly, during puberty, the rate of energy and resource consumption by the developing adolescents body requires that extra protein needs to go in to be able to keep the same level of longitudinal growth as a meat eater. Meat in general take longer to break down, and have more fat which is made of fatty acids. Fats are the second source of energy in the human body which is not usually used until the person uses up all of their first source of energy, sugars.

What I would guess at this point, even though there is no conclusive evidence for my personal guess, is that vegetarians who do eat milk, eggs, and fish would not be that much shorter than their meat eating counterparts, and if they are the difference would be small, probably around or less than 1 inch in difference.

As for vegans, due to their multiple restrictions on food types they can eat, it might not be possible for the growing adolescent male vegan to be able to consume the same amount of proteins needed to build the bodies size during the puberty stages. It is more likely that they would become shorter than meat-eaters by maybe 1-2 inches in difference.

Of course we have to remember the old adage about geneticist who talk about height and whether it is more nurture or nature. They state that 60-80% of one’s final height is determined by one’s genetic makeup. Food is a smaller factor towards the growth rate and height of an individual. More likely, the reason most people do end up shorter than other people is from not getting enough of the right nutrients while they are still growing. Stunted growth from malnutrition has always been a very big problem for vegetarians who don’t understand that their choice not be be omnivores means that they have to be more aware of nutrition than meat eaters who eat both plants and animals.

From my own knowledge, there has never been a study where each individual of identical twins were put on a vegetarian and omnivorous diet respectively to test what their final height would be.

Does Eating An Organic Food Diet Lead To A Taller Height?

Something that I recently been hearing a lot in the media is the harmful effects of people in the USA and other western or Westernized nations eating too much processed, non-organic food which is making them fatter, obese, and less healthy.

Since my focus is looking at how human behavior or lifestyles affect them in terms of their growth in their natural growing years and their overall final height, I wanted to ask the question “Does eating an organic food diet lead to a taller height?”

It should make some logical sense to say that the organic foods that so many people these days talk about should be healthier than the foods that is more processed, and the foods that have chemicals injected in them. Since the food is supposed to be healthier, then shouldn’t it make the person eating it healthier, and that results in better growth rates leading to taller final heights?

From what I have seen at my local Whole Foods store, I would say that it might not be the case. What I have personal noted in terms of just observation and weak anecdotal evidence is that fact that organic foods usually come in smaller sizes and portions than the kind of food found from non-organic sources.

It would seem that the real argument for choosing organic is that they have less pesticide and more nutrients in them. Interestingly, many posts in recent years like from the Huffington Post suggest that the old argument of organic food being healthier, safer, and more nutricious may not be true from studies done by researchers at Stanford. Even NPR have articles that say the same message, that the idea that organic food is healthier and safer may not be true.

The research I have done suggest that everytime a young kid who is still growing suffers some type of illness or infection or inflammation causes the longitudinal increase in the long bones which is responsible for growth to be stunted, even if it is a fraction of a millimeter. While many people have multiple other reasons for why it might be a better idea to go with the organic foods option, I am viewing it from the growth rate point of view.

What might be more important to ask is two basic factors…

  • Whether the nutrients inside the organic compared to the non-organic are higher in the involved of chondrocyte differentiation, proliferation, and hypertrophy.
  • Whether the organic foods compare to the non-organic foods are more likely to cause the person eating it to develop more illnesses and infections. 

These are what will affect the person’s growth and height.

What I would say is that since organic fruits and vegetables which are grown without exotic chemicals they come out to be smaller so that people who buy the organic foods at higher prices are consuming less foods than people eating the non-organic type.

Since the quantity is larger, in terms of overall nutrient concentration in the vegetables and fruits, the non-organic foods probably makes people become overweight more than the former. There have been multiple studies which show that children who become overweight early in life develop into puberty earlier than their peers and that means faster bone maturity. This results in decreased final height. So does this train of thought mean that the organic food selection will make kids taller since they are becoming less likely to become overweight?

Maybe not since we are not looking adding the overall nutrients amount factor in. There might be more nutrients in organic foods but the food of the non-organic compensates for its low nutrient concentration by being larger so it is likely that the overall nutrients amount of greater than the organic foods.

If we are to view growth rates as a positive correlation function to how much nutrients they can get into their bodies, then it might suggest that non-organic foods are better for higher growth rates.

In the articles I have looked at, most of the nutrition researchers show that the quality of the organic food is actually about the same as non-organic foods so the result is more likely that there will be very little height difference between the people who eat organic and those who eat non-organic.

If I was asked which side is more likely to lead to even a slight increased height advantage, I would say that it is more likely that the people who eat non-organic foods are the ones who will end up taller than the people who eat organic. The best example are the animal meats like beef which get injected with Growth Hormones which make the meat thicker and bigger. When the human ingests the meat, they also consume the growth hormone, which might accelerate the growth process a slight amount.

In general, throughout most of human history, obesity was not a big problem. Growth stunting occurred more from not enough food than too much food. It is actually in terms of large generalization not likely that a slightly overweight person would also be below average in height, although there are quite a few people who fit both descriptions. Overweight people are usually big eaters when they were younger, and the overeating meant they did get high levels of some type of nutrients. Even though they may be overweight, their growth would not be stunted from not getting enough to eat, like so many other people in human history.

The thing to take away from this post is to understand that more than one’s choice on whether they are eating organic or non-organic, it is more likely that one’s genetic makeup will determine much more on how high their growth rate will be.