TruHeight

UPDATE 8/23/23: TruHeight has revised the website FAQ that had falsely claimed its supplements are “manufactured in an FDA approved facility.” In addition, the company now provides more information about the terms of its auto-renewing subscriptions in the checkout process. TruHeight told TINA.org that “[c]ustomers are also emailed a reminder prior to any renewal and shipment and through the email can cancel by following a link on the renewal page.” Further, the company’s website now references a pilot study as support for the claim that “[c]linical studies show that TruHeight works.” However, only 28 participants completed the study, which only examined the TruHeight protein shake and not any of the company’s pills or gummies, and it found “a lack of significant improvement in the static parameters of growth (body length, body mass, BMI).” Our original ad alert follows.

If you are a parent concerned about your child’s stature, TruHeight says its “height growth vitamins” can help your kid grow tall – or your money back.

“Nutritional deficiencies can prevent kids from growing to their optimal height,” the supplement company says on its website. “We designed our products from the ground up with experts to ensure your children are getting exactly what their bodies need to reach their maximum height potential.”

Billy will be making varsity in no time. But not so fast: While TruHeight claims that “nutrition + genetics = height,” according to experts, genetics are mostly responsible for variations in height between individuals. If mom or dad are tall, their offspring will likely grow up to be tall as well. If mom and dad are height-challenged, the same will likely be true for their children. TruHeight even acknowledges – in a slideshow below its growth claims that is easy to miss but first requires that consumers scroll down far enough to see it – the outsized role genetics play, stating, “DNA determines a person’s final height.”

In addition, TruHeight doesn’t offer any scientific studies on its website to support claims that its pills and gummies help kids grow tall. Instead, the company lists a handful of positive testimonials from parents, including one who said their son grew 3 inches in five months. But as TINA.org has noted before, even truthful testimonials can be deceptive if an advertiser does not possess adequate substantiation to support the implication that the user’s experience is representative of what consumers will generally achieve.

Some additional red flags include:

• TruHeight recommends its supplements for children ages 5 and older. During puberty, which generally starts between ages 8 and 13 for girls and 9 and 15 for boys, children can grow four inches or more in a year. So how can a parent tell if their child’s growth is due to the supplement or a natural growth spurt?
• The company’s six-month money-back guarantee is what a literary type might describe as Kafkaesque. According to the refund and return policy linked at the bottom of the website, only pill purchases for users “between ages 10 and below 18 years old” are eligible for the money-back guarantee after “six continuous months” of use. Customers also must obtain a doctor’s note “to provide height measurements before and after use and proof of purchase of a six-month supply.” “If user does not grow at least one inch and the proper documents are provided, a refund will be processed.” However, such gains are to be expected for children even before they hit puberty without the aid of any “height growth vitamin.”
• TruHeight pushes consumers toward signing up for subscriptions with preselected plans for both the pills and gummies, without adequately disclosing the terms of the auto-renewing subscriptions, as required by FTC law. When checking out, consumers must click to read the company’s cancellation policy, which links to the refund and return policy (and which, in addition to the restrictions on the company’s money-back guarantee, notes that subscriptions may only be canceled after at least two deliveries). But the link appears in an “order summary” box on the opposite side of the page as a “continue” button, which appears under blank spaces to enter shipping information. So it doesn’t stand out and consumers may advance in the checkout process without ever seeing or clicking the link to the cancellation policy.
• TruHeight claims in an FAQ that its products are “manufactured in an FDA approved facility.” Wrong. The FDA does not approve facilities. Nor does it review supplements before they are sold to consumers.

The bottom line

TruHeight makes some tall claims about its products and its money-back guarantee – claims that fall apart upon closer scrutiny. Meanwhile, the FTC is no stranger to marketers making unsubstantiated claims about height increases for children. In 2006, the agency reached a $375,000 settlement with the marketer of HeightMax supplements over alleged false claims to make kids taller.

TINA.org reached out to TruHeight for comment. Check back for updates.

Find more of our coverage on products aimed at parents here.