Can Milk Make You Grow Taller?

Milk provides vitamins and minerals that are important for growth in children. It's hard for scientists to figure out if milk makes you grow taller is that there are many factors that affect how tall you grow.

It's pretty likely that sometime in your childhood, a well-meaning adult told you to drink up your milk so you could grow. Milk can be a healthy part of your diet. But does milk make you taller? 

In some studies, children who got more dairy products, including milk, grew taller than those who ate less dairy. Other studies found no difference in the height of the two groups. So scientists aren't yet sure whether there is a direct link between how much milk you drink and how tall you get. Still, milk provides vitamins and minerals that are important for growth in children.

Milk provides nutrients that are important for growth and development:

Calcium

Calcium is a mineral that builds bone strength and helps bones grow. Children who are 1 to 3 years old need 700 mg of calcium each day, while 4-to-8-year-olds need 1,000 mg. Children between the ages of 9 and 18 need the most calcium, 1,300 mg per day. But about half of children in the U.S. don't get enough calcium in their diets. 

Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium, with more calcium per serving than most other foods. Your body also absorbs calcium from dairy more easily than calcium from many other foods.

Magnesium

Magnesium is another mineral you need for bone formation, but about half of Americans don't get magnesium from the food they eat. The numbers are even worse for teenagers. Yogurt and milk can help provide the magnesium children need to grow and thrive.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and also helps bones grow. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, but it is added to almost all milk in the U.S. It isn't necessarily added to products like cheese and ice cream that are made from milk, though. Children need to get 600 IU of vitamin D each day from the food they eat. 

One survey found that children in the U.S. tend to get only about 200 IU of vitamin D a day, far less than the recommended amount. Fortified milk — milk with added vitamin D — is a good way to bridge that gap.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral that's critical for normal growth and development, but most children don't get enough of it. Three out of every four teenage girls and two out of three teen boys aren't getting enough zinc in their diets. Milk and other dairy products are a great way to get the zinc you need to grow.

Protein

Protein is one of the building blocks of your bones and other organs, and you need it for growth. Dieticians suggest that you include a food that contains protein at every meal. Milk and other dairy products are healthy sources of protein. One-half cup of milk contains almost a third of the protein a toddler needs in a day.

Phosphorus

An essential mineral, phosphorus is another of the main ingredients in bone and crucial for growth. Dairy products, especially milk and yogurt, are rich in phosphorus.

Part of the reason why it's hard for scientists to figure out if milk makes you grow taller is that there are many factors that affect how tall you grow. Nutrition, including nutrition you get from dairy products like milk, does impact growth. Other factors include:

Genetics

Your genetics are the traits you inherited from your family, and they determine your optimum height. Your optimum height is the tallest you could grow if you had excellent nutrition and no health problems. 

Physical activity

Multiple studies have shown that children who exercise have stronger, healthier bones. After genetics, physical activity and diet have the greatest impact on a child's final height.

Hormones

Hormones are natural chemicals that tell your cells what to do. They control growth and development. Most children don't have any problems with their hormones. Some children do have a growth hormone problem, so they grow slower or faster than expected. If not treated, a growth hormone problem can make a child end up shorter or taller than they would have been otherwise.

Health conditions

Some genetic conditions, like Turner syndrome, can cause shortness. Chronic illnesses — those that last a long time — can result in a shorter height than expected. These include severe arthritis, cancer, and untreated celiac disease.

What if your child is allergic to cow's milk? What if your child refuses to drink milk because they just don't like the taste? Thankfully, there are other foods that can provide the nutrients found in milk. It's a little more challenging and expensive, but it can be done! Talk to your child's doctor before making any big changes to their diet. 

Calcium and vitamin D

Most nondairy "milks" found in the grocery store are fortified with calcium and vitamin D — so much so that alternative milks often contain as much calcium and vitamin D as cow's milk, sometimes more. Some alternative milks also have added sugars. Save sugary drinks for special treats and pick unsweetened milks for everyday use. There are so many options:

• Almond milk
• Cashew milk
• Rice milk
• Oat milk
• Hemp milk
• Soy milk — be careful, as about half of people with dairy allergies also react to soy

Zinc

Good nondairy sources of zinc include:

• Lean beef and pork
• Dark meat chicken and turkey
• Eggs
• Seeds, including sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• Nuts
• Dry beans
• Whole-grain cereals

Magnesium

Magnesium is added to some cereals — check the labels. Green leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds are also good sources of magnesium.

Milk isn't the only factor that determines how tall your child will be as an adult. But if your child can drink milk, it's an easy and inexpensive way to provide the vitamins and minerals they need to grow.