Thai And Chinese Middle Class Parents Giving Their Children Growth Hormone?

[meatballs]

I just can't see Thais becoming as tall as farang any time soon. lol. I think it's gonna take a long time..

[tullynagardy]

I just can't see Thais becoming as tall as farang any time soon. lol. I think it's gonna take a long time..

Go to any Thai event in London, full of the hi-so types, and they already are if you ask me.

When Im at my Mrs village I feel tall at 5 10, at these events I feel average at best

[tim armstrong]

I think its the rising consumption of KFC, Macas, Subway and sugar coated bread and cheese sticks in Thailand and Asia that's making the biggest change in growth, both upwards and outward. I also heard an urban myth that it now takes 2 days longer for some bodies to decay after death because of preservatives

[SeaVisionBurma]

A number of off topic, trolling and petty bickering posts have been removed.

Replies quoting these posts have also been removed.

Last chance - you have been warned, Apologies to those who were contributing something useful.

[soomak]

This is the average height in China from 2002 (17 years old):

Male, Urban = 1.70 m

Male, Rural = 1.66 m

Female, Urban = 1.59

Female, Rural = 1.57

If someone knows what's the current heights, will be happy to know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height#Average_height_around_the_world

[soomak]

Interesting quote from Wikipedia:

"

Average male height in impoverished Vietnam and North Korea^[25] remains comparatively small at 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) and 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in), respectively. Currently, young adult North Korean males are actually significantly shorter. This contrasts greatly with the extreme growth occurring in surrounding Asian populations with correlated increasing standards of living. Young South Koreans are about 12 cm (4.7 in) taller than their North Korean counterparts, on average. There is also an extreme difference between older North Koreans and young North Koreans who grew up during the famines of the 1990s–2000s. North Korean and South Korean adults older than 40, who were raised when the North and South's economies were about equal, are generally of the same average height.

"

Amazing:

The better nutrition and standard of living (and maybe the hormones in the food) accounts for 12 cm !! in the average height of the South Koreans, who have the same genetics as the North Koreans.

[Louie77]

I don't know about Thailand but kids are given growth hormons in South Korea. We saw this first hand when we were teaching there. Some of our kids told us thats' what they we're doing because they had to grow tall. We asked our co-teachers and they confirmed it. It's very normal there. They don't know what it can do to them, nevermind the pressure that is put on those kids ...

http://abcnews.go.com/International/korean-children-pressured-grow-tall/story?id=9074703

[chiangmaikelly]

The OP wrote, "I can't help but think that it's unnatural for parents who are small and slim to get such behemots as children. It does look amusing seeing these giant children in school uniform.

So my thesis is this: Thai-Chinese and Chinese parents give their kids growth hormones to make them grow taller."

Perhaps some one could explain to me what, given the references to Thai-Chinese and Chinese parents in Thailand is actually being discussed. What are the factors that effect growth of children in Thailand or is the topic about a certain ethnic minority in Thailand? Are we discussing China. or Asia, or Thailand or only Thai - Chinese and Chinese people who live in Thailand.

I would like to stay on topic but don't really know what the topic is. Maybe the OP could help. Is the topic all Thai children or is it restricted to what the OP mentioned children of Thai - Chinese or Chinese parents?

[SeaVisionBurma]

I would like to stay on topic but don't really know what the topic is.

Then don't post anything. You don't have to post on every single thread. Simple.

[HHBM]

My guess is also that it's mostly due to changes in diet, rather than supplements. I do wonder about how much of the food has hormones, though. Does anyone have some data about Thai farm animals and/or dairy products?

[Sheryl]

no way is it natural for a couple that is around 160-170 cms to get a child that is 180 cm.

Actually it is quite normal if the parent's short stature is a result of stunting and the child has had the advantage of adequate nutrition throughout pregnancy, infancy and childhood.

25 years ago almost a quarter of Thai children were stunted (smaller in height than is normal for age, a compensatory mechanism designed to bring the body's nutritional needs in line with food availability). Nowadays it is rare except in some disadvantaged sub-sections of the population.

Whenever socioeconomic conditions improve as rapidly as they did in Thailand over the past few decades, one sees this pattern of children noticeably taller than their parents for a few generations, then it levels off.

[tinfoilhat]

but try to explain to some on here that if the parent did not receive enough food to live up to their genetic potential, their child will outgrow them.

the genetic argument only really works in this context if all things are equal

[chiangmaikelly]

but try to explain to some on here that if the parent did not receive enough food to live up to their genetic potential, their child will outgrow them.

the genetic argument only really works in this context if all things are equal

Unless there are health problems to include malnutrition or other diet deficiencies height is determined by genetics. In the absence of growth hormones of course.

[poanoi]

These days in my home country, any man-child expected to be less than 175 cm

(and thus classified as a dwarf) is prescribed growth hormone

[inquisitive]

I agree with many posts here, it's because of the diet:

More calories, more dairy products loaded with hormones, and more protein.

It happened in the west as well 1-2 generations ago. My generation is on average taller than our parents, who were also taller then their parents.

I doubt if growth hormones are common practice in Thailand, as it is quite expensive and not easy to obtain.

I don't know how common the practice may be, but I can state as a fact that last year there was at least a month during which HUGE posters and banners were being shown in Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok -including the lobbies and elevators - which had as the main message something like "If you had the chance to make your child taller, would you do it for them?" The ads stated that the hospital had a program of human growth hormone supplements available for those that requested it. It seems to me that intentional manipulation of one's child's height is being encouraged by the for-profit health establishment. How many parents would admit to doing such a thing, however, is anybody's guess. I would guess that the parents would just say their child was naturally tall rather than say he would be a runt if it weren't for some hormonal injections. After all, how many women openly admit to their plastic surgery, and how many men admit to wearing a hairpiece?

[tropo]

Parents are really in to having their kids drink lots of milk but I don't think very many are giving them growth hormone injections

Don't recall anything in the OP about injections... Perhaps the OP meant oral/tablets...

Personally I doubt it. I think it is diet, as others have alluded to.

It's a given. HGH doesn't survive the digestive process. It can only be administered by sub-cutaneous injection, which is extremely easy and painless.

[MunichMom]

I'm glad I found you people discussing this topic somewhere on the internet, because this is a topic I have thought about for several years, watching two extra large Chinese kids in our daycare facility growing up. I am a Mum of two living in Munich, Germany and I always wondered why those two Chinese-born kids were taller, and, how do you put this politely, larger - bigger - thicker (?) than other Chinese kids or even biracial (German/Chinese) kids in our daycare (ages 3-6). And, listen to this: those two are even way taller and heavier than their German classmates - they look at least 1, rather 2 years older i.e. larger than the rest of their German classmates - although their mums and dads are petite Chinese parents! By one or two years older I mean they are about 20 - 25 cm taller and many kilograms heavier than the rest of the children in their age group - and Germans are not neccessarily small folk ...

To contribute to the better-diet-discussion: I live in Munich and Bavarians traditionally eat lots of meat and dairy - so if all kids here eat about the same food - how come those Chinese kids are so much taller and heavier? And how come, that other Chinese-born or biracial Asian children in our daycare look like you would expect them to look: Petite parents, petite children. Those parents do not seem to feed their kids growth hormones. Hey, same goes with petite German/Spanish/English/Israeli parents in our daycare - they all have petite, slim kids. And tall, big parents have - you guess it - tall, big kids!

I don't condemn those parents feeding their kids whatever - I suspect growth hormones - every parent wants the best in life for their kids, although I'm concerned for their health as growth hormones seem to induce cancer - but I always wondered how come, those kids are soooo much taller than the rest?

Does anyone agree with me, any parents out there, maybe even Chinese/Asian parents, who can tell me about this penomenon?

Thanks!

[puck2]

Groth Hormones ?? ehm ... those in McDxxxxd, KFx, pizzas, Coxe, sweet drinks, nuts, sweets and cakes packed in plastic

Edited April 26, 2013 by puck2