A Chinese actor caused controversy when he gave his child height-increasing medicine

Actress Deng Sha, 38 years old, caused a wave of controversy on Chinese social networks after posting a clip of her 11-year-old son, nicknamed Big Linzi, taking height-increasing medicine while eating. The actress is famous for her roles in historical dramas and has 7 million followers on Weibo.

In the shared video, she recorded an image of herself preparing dinner for her son, while also sprinkling a “height increasing powder” into the food. She explained that Big Linzi has the most modest height in the class, only 1.46 m compared to the average of 1.6 m to 1.7 m of his peers. The video quickly spread on Chinese social networks, reaching more than 100 million views.

There is currently no data proving the effectiveness of this drug. Deng Sha also did not disclose the specific brand and ingredients of the medicine. In China, some children’s functional foods advertised as “height increasing” actually contain only vitamin D and the amino acid L-lysine, yet they cost between 200 and 400 yuan (700,000 yuan). -1.3 million VND) per bottle.

China’s National Medical Products Administration has not approved any drugs or devices to increase height. All products claiming such effects are considered false advertising. Using them indiscriminately can endanger children’s health.

In fact, finding ways to increase height is an eternal story in China. In order for their children to grow tall, parents are often willing to try many different methods. Sheet Theirs Reportedly, a parent gave his 15-year-old child growth hormones for 2.5 years, spending 600,000 yuan (2 billion VND). For well-off parents, spending that much money is worth it because if you miss the golden time, you won’t be able to do anything with money. Surprisingly, there is a 13-year-old child who is 1.72 meters tall whose parents still bring him to the hospital for consultation and want growth hormone injections.

Puberty inhibitor injections and growth hormones have become “money printing machines” for pharmaceutical companies. For example, the 2021 annual financial report of Changchun High-tech pharmaceutical company showed that it reached 10,747 billion yuan, an increase of more than 25% over the same period last year, and net profit increased by more than 23%. Among them, growth hormone products contribute up to 98%. Although its vaccine business failed, the gains from its hormone products were staggering.

Child growth and development expert Wang Chunlin, Head of the Department of Pediatrics, at Zhejiang University Hospital, recommends that parents be cautious when using puberty blockers and growth hormone injections. . “Children with precocious puberty may need to be injected with inhibitors, but it depends on the situation and level of treatment. Not all children with precocious puberty need injections,” he said.

Doctors advise that to help children develop optimal height, parents should focus on a balanced diet. Cut down on sugar and “fastfood” foods, increase green vegetables, protein, milk, cereals and foods rich in calcium and vitamin D. Get enough sleep according to the recommended time, exercise regularly and regularly, exercise posture or improve poor posture (hunchback, hunchback, turtle neck…). Do not create long-term chronic stress on children, treat chronic diseases of the digestive tract, heart, kidneys, lungs (if any)…

Movement factor accounts for 25%, children should exercise regularly, at least 30-40 minutes a day to help stimulate height development. For infants and young children who do not exercise much, parents should proactively massage their children, practice gentle exercise, and promote motor development according to age. For older children, maintaining 15 minutes of stretching exercises every day can stimulate the growth plate (cartilage grows longer before ossification), encouraging yoga in children.

Children sleeping enough and on time also stimulates proper growth hormone production. You should sleep from about 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. because sleeping well and achieving deep sleep from 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. helps stimulate growth hormone secretion, thereby developing optimal height.