Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

The Nutrient Deficiency That Makes You Short

Feb 11, 2024

05:06

Snipd AI

This podcast explores how nutritional deficiencies can stunt growth. Zinc deficiency can make you shorter, while issues with the pituitary gland control growth hormone release. Growth hormone helps bones and muscles grow. Amino acids stimulate growth hormone, and lack of protein can diminish it. Insulin-like growth factor-1, triggered by amino acids and zinc, also influences height. The Republic of the Congo has the highest rate of zinc deficiency due to a diet high in phytic acid. Vitamin D is essential for growth.

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Quick takeaways

Proper nutrition, specifically the availability of essential nutrients like protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, is crucial for optimal growth and development in early years of life.

Malnutrition, such as deficiencies in iodine and zinc, can negatively impact both height and cognitive function.

Deep dives

The Importance of Micronutrients for Growth

Proper nutrition, specifically the availability of essential nutrients like protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, is crucial for optimal growth and development in early years of life. Malnutrition, such as deficiencies in iodine and zinc, can negatively impact both height and cognitive function. The pituitary gland plays a significant role in growth, as it produces growth hormone. Consuming adequate amounts of high-quality protein, avoiding high-sugar diets and insulin resistance, and ensuring sufficient zinc intake are all essential for promoting growth hormone production and maintaining proper height.

The Impact of Micronutrient Deficiency on Growth and Development

1min

Factors Affecting Growth and Zinc Deficiency

4min

In this podcast, we’re going to take a look at how nutritional deficiencies can stunt growth. Most stunted growth is related to malnutrition. For example, a zinc deficiency can cause you to be shorter. Issues with the pituitary gland can stunt growth because the pituitary gland controls the release of growth hormone.

In children, growth hormone helps bones and muscles grow and affects height. In adults, growth hormone preserves protein in your body, aids in weight loss, and has anti-aging properties.

Amino acids stimulate human growth hormone. If you’re not consuming enough protein, growth hormone can be diminished. High blood glucose, a high-sugar diet, insulin resistance, and lack of sleep can negatively affect human growth hormone.

The liver makes a hormone known as insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1). If you're deficient in this hormone, you may end up on the shorter side. IGF-1 is also triggered by amino acids and zinc.

If you’re not consuming enough red meat, fish, and shellfish, you could end up with a zinc deficiency. There is not a lot of zinc in plant foods!

The Republic of the Congo has the highest rate of zinc deficiency. In the Republic of the Congo, the diet is primarily composed of rice, grains, corn, and cereals, which are high in phytic acid. Phytic acid blocks zinc which can create a massive zinc deficiency and affect your immune system. Stress, sugar, and insulin resistance can also cause a zinc deficiency.

Vitamin D is very important for growth, but many people are deficient. Children don't go outside as much, and they consume large amounts of junk foods, which inhibits vitamin D. Inflammation in the gut also blocks its absorption.

DATA:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...