The Nutrient Deficiency That Makes You Short
Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast
Dr. Eric Berg
4.7 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 11 February 2024
⏱️ 5 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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...
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today I'd like to discuss the most common micronutrient deficiency that can keep you on the short side. |
| 0:08.9 | Personally growing up, I think my growth was stunted through wrestling. I wrestled junior high school, high school, and I started college until I fractured my neck. |
| 0:20.0 | But for about three years, I actually went through cycles of literally starving myself to make weight. |
| 0:26.0 | I think that's done on my growth. |
| 0:27.8 | And I'm only six, two. |
| 0:28.7 | Now you might say, well, you're only six, two. |
| 0:30.4 | Yeah, but my dad's six, five my younger brother is six seven, my mom is six foot, |
| 0:36.6 | now I'm just kidding, she's five, eight. |
| 0:39.2 | So if you're a teenager and you starve yourself, you know, especially three years in a row, that can have an influence on your nutrition. |
| 0:45.0 | Most stent growth is related to malnutrition. |
| 0:48.0 | It is so important in the beginning years of life that you have all the essential nutrients. I'm talking about |
| 0:54.3 | protein, I'm talking about vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, because as this relates |
| 1:00.9 | to growth and development, not just your height, but organs and tissues. |
| 1:05.0 | If you're deficient in iodine, for example, it can affect your cognitive function. |
| 1:09.7 | If you're deficient in zinc, you can definitely be shorter as well. |
| 1:12.8 | If you have some problem with your pituitary, |
| 1:15.1 | that's gonna affect your height. |
| 1:16.5 | Because the pituitary controls something called growth hormone. |
| 1:20.4 | But generally speaking, girls, generally have a growth spirit between 10 years old and 14 and boys between 12 and 15 |
| 1:29.2 | But if we take a look at growth we're going to talk about all of the things. |
| 1:33.1 | We're going to talk about the protein, talk about vitamins and minerals, and we're going to talk |
| 1:37.3 | about hormones. |
... |
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