Can Certain Foods Make You Taller?

It is a common misconception that height is purely genetic. Parents’ height genes only determine 80% of their children’s height; the other 20% comes from environmental factors such as sleep, nutrition, and activity levels. This is why most children end up growing within 3 inches of the mid-parental height (the average of their parents’ heights) ("The Genetics of Height", 2022). Yet, over the past century, the average height of both men and women has been increasing. According to CBS, from 1896 to 1996, the average U.S. male height increased from 5 foot 6 inches to 5 foot 8 inches (Mitchell, 2025). This increase in height from generation to generation is mainly due to increasingly better nutrition worldwide. So, food plays some role in determining height, and this article will further explore this relationship.

A normal curve showing the general height distribution of the human population (Bicknell et al., 2025)

How do people grow Taller in the first place?

Growing taller is simply the lengthening of bones. On all the body’s long bones (femur, humerus, metacarpals, etc.) there are growth plates; bands of cartilage near the ends of the bones. These plates contain chondrocytes (cartilage cells), that first multiply, enlarge, then finally die off and get replaced by bone (proliferation, hypertrophy, then ossification). This process happens rapidly during infancy, happens at a slower rate during childhood, increases again during puberty, and finally declines in adulthood, eventually stopping completely. (Jee & Baron, 2017) What causes the growth plates to activate at these rates is the amount of growth hormone, or somatotropin. Somatotropin is created in the pituitary gland and is released in bursts during intense exercise and deep sleep. Finally, the most important building blocks of bone are vitamin D and calcium, which work together to form the bone during a process called ossification, or bone tissue formation. Diet plays a role in this process by providing these necessary nutrients – something explored more in detail below (Branch, 2023).

A diagram of proliferation, hypertrophy, and ossification (Hasan et al., 2024).

What foods can contribute to height?

Again, the body needs Vitamin D and Calcium to build the bone. It also needs enough calories to provide energy for all of the processes related to growth. As long as a diet has enough of all three of these, the specific food won’t matter. Still, some foods that are rich in all three of these are fish, egg yolk, and milk. A good rule of thumb is that most seafood has high levels of vitamin D, while most dairy products have high levels of calcium. (Shepard, 2024). When planning a diet, it is important to remember not to intake too much of any of these nutrients. An excess of any of these can be dangerous, and only up to a certain amount will support growth.

Key Takeaways

A person’s maximum possible height is determined by genetics, but to reach that height requires good sleep, physical activity, and most importantly a balanced and nutritious diet. But these good habits can’t change height once the growth plates have closed; on average growth plates close around 15 years old for girls and 17 years old for boys  ("When does", 2024). Most people can’t naturally grow taller after these ages. Still, it is important to learn about how to support proper growth as current or potential parents – to ensure the next generation has the best possible conditions to reach their full growth potential through proper nutrition, sleep, and healthy lifestyle habits during their growth years.

References

1. Bicknell, L. S., Hirschhorn, J. N., & Savarirayan, R. (2025). The genetic basis of human height. Nature Reviews Genetics, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-025-00834-1

2. Branch, N. S. C. and O. (2023, May 5). Calcium and Vitamin D: Important for Bone Health. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; NIAMS. https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/calcium-and-vitamin-d-important-bone-health

3. Hasan, S., Naseer, S., Zamzam, M., Mohilldean, H., Van Wagoner, C., Hasan, A., Saleh, E. S., Uhley, V., & Kamel-ElSayed, S. (2024). Nutrient and Hormonal Effects on Long Bone Growth in Healthy and Obese Children: A Literature Review. Children, 11(7), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070817

4. Jee, Y. H., & Baron, J. (2016, March 26). The Biology of Stature—PMC. NIH. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4884478/

5. Mitchell, K. (2025, April 3). Are humans getting taller? Here’s what the data says. - CBS Minnesota. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/why-people-are-getting-taller/ 

6. Shepard, S. (2024, May 21). Calcium and Vitamin D: Top Food Sources. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/calcium-vitamin-d-foods

7. The genetics of height. (2022, October 26). Medicover Genetics. https://medicover-genetics.com/the-genetics-of-height/

8. When does growth cartilage close? (2024, December 26). Vinmec International Hospital. https://www.vinmec.com/eng/blog/when-does-the-growth-plate-close-en