Growth Hormone Levels Drop Sharply with Sugar Intake
Triggers Precocious Puberty... Accelerates Early Closure of Growth Plates
It is well known that sugar is not good for the body. However, a study revealing that it also hinders height growth has attracted attention. When growing children consumed sugary foods, their blood growth hormone levels temporarily dropped sharply.
According to recent reports from Taiwan's ETtoday, pediatric endocrinologist Wang Luting emphasized that “obesity not only causes insulin resistance but is also an invisible killer that reduces a child's growth,” pointing out that “especially excessive sugar intake can suppress growth hormone and accelerate the closing of growth plates.”
Wang Luting claimed, “When children orally consumed 1.75g of glucose per kg of body weight and blood samples were taken within a specific time frame, growth hormone levels dropped sharply within 2 to 3 hours after sugar intake, even to nearly undetectable levels.” This indicates that a high-sugar diet can interfere with normal growth hormone secretion in children, affecting their growth and development. He added, “Many caregivers overlook the dangers of sugar, only realizing the risk when they notice other children growing taller.”
Furthermore, Wang Luting warned, “Children who like sweets may experience an early increase in insulin levels, which can promote the bioavailability of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). This acts as a factor accelerating puberty progression, potentially leading to precocious puberty.” He emphasized, “Excessive insulin and growth hormone are natural enemies,” explaining that “if insulin increases too much, not only is growth hormone suppressed, but the early closure of growth plates can be accelerated.”
Similar research has previously been conducted by German researchers. A German study tracking 197 children with type 1 diabetes found that the final adult height of the group with higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was shorter than the predicted adult height at the time of diagnosis. The decrease ranged from an average of about 3 cm up to a maximum of 6.4 cm compared to the expected height.
Meanwhile, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among children and adolescents worldwide (ages 3 to 19) increased by 23% between 1990 and 2018, with an average of 3.6 servings per week of sugar-sweetened drinks such as sodas or juices (based on a 248g serving size).
Dr. Laura Lara-Caster and her team from Tufts University and the University of Washington analyzed trends in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among children and adolescents from 1990 to 2018 using the Global Dietary Database, a comprehensive dataset on food intake from 185 countries, and published their findings in the medical journal British Medical Journal.
The analysis showed that the weekly consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (248g per serving) among children and adolescents increased by 22.9% (0.68 servings) to 3.6 servings in 2018 compared to 1990, which is nearly double the consumption level of adults.
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