Minerals and their impact on height growth
Calcium (Ca)
Calcium is the most abundant element in human body, found mostly in bones and teeth and just more than 1% in blood and cells. This mineral takes responsibility for maintaining the body functions. It is also the most important component of skeleton, making up of 70% bone structure. To increase the length and width of bones, an adequate amount of Calcium must be provided to your body.
The allocation of Calcium each age group is described as follows.
- 0 - 6 months old: 200 mg/day
- 7 - 12 months old: 260 mg/day
- 1 - 3 years old: 700 mg/day
- 4 - 8 years old: 1,000 mg/day
- 9 - 13 years old: 1,300 mg/day
- 14 - 18 years old: 1,300 mg/day
- 19 - 50 years old: 1,000 mg/day
- 51 - 70 years old: 1,000 mg/day
- Over 70 years old: 1,200 mg/day
To provide enough Calcium for bones, we should eat foods rich in Calcium regularly such as shrimps, fish, crabs, spinach, cabbage, yogurt, and cereals.
Zinc (Zn)
Despite not constituting as a large proportion as Calcium, Zinc is also present in bone structure and helps bones stronger and healthier. Besides, this mineral increases protein synthesis, cell division and appetite, and therefore stimulates the natural growth of the body. Zinc deficiency is the leading reason hindering the cell division and causing bone growth disorder, thus leading to no or little height gain, delayed puberty and reduction of sexual functions.
The demand for Zinc for each age group is as follows.
- Newborns 0 - 6 months old: 2 mg/day
- Newborns 7 - 11 months old: 3 mg/day
- Children 1 - 3 years old: 3 mg/day
- Children 4 - 8 years old: 5 mg/day
- Children 9 - 13 years old: 8 mg/day
- Males aged 14 and above: 11 mg/day
- Females 14 - 18 years old: 9 mg/day
- Females aged 19 and above: 8 mg/day
- Pregnant women aged 18 and above: 11 - 12 mg/day
- Breastfeeding women aged 18 and above: 12 - 13 mg/day
Foods high in Zinc are chicken, pork, shrimps, crabs, beef, and oysters.
Magnesium (Mg)
Magnesium plays a vital part in human body. In a 70-kilogram person, it represents 25 – 30 mg, in which 70% found in bones, 29% in tissues and muscle and 1% in blood. It also constitutes the bone structure and regulates the excretion of calcitonin, a hormone considered as “the leader” of blood Calcium level, to enhance Calcium absorption in intestines, support bone transformation and boost immune system for the prevention of bones and joints illnesses. Therefore, if you want to have a healthy skeleton, don’t forget to supplement this kind of mineral every day.
The demand for Magnesium increases along with each age group:
- For children, the amount of Magnesium increases depending on their age:
- 6 months old: 30 mg/day
- 1 - 3 years old: 80 mg/day
- 9 - 13 years old: 120 mg/day
- Adults need about 350 – 400 mg/day. For people doing heavy physical activities and athletes, this amount is 1.5 - 2 times as much as that quantity.
We can supplement this mineral by eating foods like katuk, mustard greens, Malabar spinach, some types of herbs, meat, milk, millet, soybeans, peanuts, green peas, banana, avocado, and dried apricot.
Phosphorus (P)
In the skeleton, Phosphorus assures the firmness of bones and creates the strength of muscle. Together with Calcium, Phosphorus makes your bones stronger and healthier, creates the most favorable condition for bone growth, and then boosts your height growth maximally.
Each age group has its own demand for Phosphorus as follows:
- Children 0 - 6 months old: 100 mg/day
- Children 7 - 12 months old: 275 mg/day
- Children 1 - 3 years old: 460 mg/day
- Children 4 - 8 years old 500 mg/day
- Children 9 - 18 years old: 1,250 mg/day
- Adults above 19 years old: 700 mg/day
Some foods rich in Phosphorus are meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, nuts and seeds, and beans.
The above-mentioned minerals are extremely essential to health and natural body growth. To achieve an ideal height, you need to have a plan to supplement such vital nutrients daily.
