TruHeight is a children's supplement brand that sells growth gummies, capsules and protein shakes, and the company says it's now the top-selling kids' supplement brand on TikTok Shop. TruHeight describes itself as the "#1 Pediatrician Recommended Brand" for growth and development.
But can TruHeight Growth Gummies actually help kids grow taller? Are the active ingredients dosed at research-backed levels? Why did the FTC take action against the company? And is TruHeight better or worse than popular kids' growth supplements like NuBest Tall?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in TruHeight Growth Gummies to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also discuss the risk of side effects, share our concerns with some of the brand's marketing claims, cover the FTC settlement and lawsuits involving the company, and compare TruHeight to other popular kids' supplements to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Questionable marketing claims on brand's website
- Unlikely to make kids taller
- We do not currently recommend TruHeight
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in TruHeight Growth Gummies are shown below:
image source: https://truheightvitamins.com/
Calcium is included at a 300 milligram (mg) dose, or 23% Daily Value (DV), but calcium supplementation doesn't appear to increase height in healthy children, according to a meta-analysis published in the Obesity journal.
Tricalcium phosphate is the form of calcium used, and it's an added phosphate.
Added phosphates are a category of compounds clinically shown to be associated with negative cardiovascular outcomes.
Vitamin D is included at a dose of 20 micrograms (mcg), or 100% DV.
Vitamin D supplementation has been tested in 31 placebo-controlled trials in children under five, and a 2020 meta-analysis of this research concluded that it makes little to no difference in linear growth.
Height can only be influenced before the growth plates fuse, and prescription growth hormone is one of the few interventions shown to increase it, as we documented in our does testosterone make you taller review rticle.
The Proprietary Growth Blend contains five ingredients plus vitamin K in 113 mg total, and the label doesn't disclose the dose of any of them.
Ashwagandha is the first ingredient listed in the blend, and the brand's FAQ page confirms that its dose isn't disclosed.
We can only identify two clinical trials of ashwagandha in children, and the clinical trial published in the Journal of Medicine and Life used 300 mg per day, or nearly three times the entire blend.
L-arginine and l-glutamine are amino acids that can raise growth hormone levels, but oral arginine only did so at doses of 5 to 9 grams in a 2005 clinical trial, which is over 40 times the size of the entire blend.
Astragalus is clinically shown to slightly increase height growth in children with short stature, but only as part of a standardized multi-herb extract, and the difference was 0.29 centimeters over 24 weeks.
Spirulina doesn't appear to improve growth in children and adolescents, according to a meta-analysis.
Vitamin K is listed at the end of the blend without specifying whether it's vitamin K1 or vitamin K2. This is non-standard labeling, and it leaves parents unable to tell which form their children are taking.
The inactive ingredients in TruHeight Growth Gummies are shown below:
image source: https://truheightvitamins.com/
Glucose syrup and sugar are the first two inactive ingredients, and each serving contains 3 grams (g) of added sugar.
We recommend avoiding refined sugar in children's supplements, because added sugar is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk factors in children, according to a medical review from the American Heart Association.
Citric acid is clinically shown to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals.
Natural flavors is a broad descriptor that may include synthetic solvents and preservatives, according to a medical review.
Overall, we don't expect TruHeight Growth Gummies to make kids taller, since we cannot identify clinical research showing that any of their ingredients increase height in healthy children at these doses.
We do not currently recommend this supplement due to the undisclosed ashwagandha dose, the added phosphate and the inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy.
Why Was TruHeight Sued?
In July 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized an order against TruHeight's parent company, Vanilla Chip LLC, and its two co-founders.
The FTC's complaint alleged that TruHeight's height claims relied on a single company-sponsored study of 32 participants with "substantial flaws," including insufficient size and duration and a lack of proper randomization.
The complaint also alleged that TruHeight published fake 5-star reviews written by its own employees, offered free products and discounts in exchange for 5-star reviews, and purchased roughly 176 automated bot profiles that posted fake comments on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
The final order imposes a $4 million judgment, which is partially suspended after a $750,000 payment, and bars the company from making unsupported height and growth claims or using fake and incentivized reviews.
TruHeight's FAQ page describes the settlement as voluntary, and states that the company stands by its substantiation.
Separately, a proposed class action filed in March 2026 in the Southern District of New York alleges that TruHeight falsely marketed its products as helping children grow taller, and the case is pending, according to Truth in Advertising.
In 2025, an environmental group served TruHeight with a Prop 65 notice over lead and PFOA in its Growth Protein Shake, and the company settled the claim for $30,000, according to the California Attorney General.
In our opinion, these findings make it difficult to trust the brand's marketing.
Questionable Health Claims by TruHeight
TruHeight makes several marketing claims that we disagree with.
The brand describes itself as the "#1 Pediatrician Recommended Brand" for healthy growth and development, shown below:
image source: https://truheightvitamins.com/
According to the company's own press release, this claim comes from a survey of 250 pediatricians conducted in February and March 2025, and "This claim is valid through March 12, 2026."
At the time of publishing this article, the brand's website still displays the claim and cites the same 2025 survey.
The brand's claim dossier also shows that pediatricians in the survey reported an average of 0.37 TruHeight recommendations per week, or fewer than one every two weeks.
The brand's clinical study page also suggests that its products have been tested for efficacy, shown below:
image source: https://truheightvitamins.com/
The only TruHeight study linked on this page is a six-month clinical trial of the brand's protein shake, not the gummies.
The same page acknowledges that the results "did not reach statistical significance."
A page on the brand's website also claims that ashwagandha "can help you sleep better and therefore grow more," shown below:
image source: https://truheightvitamins.com/
We cannot identify any clinical research showing that ashwagandha increases height in children.
Does TruHeight Cause Side Effects?
TruHeight Growth Gummies don't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to assess the risk of side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on the ingredients.
Ashwagandha appears to be well tolerated for up to about three months, but its long-term safety isn't known, and there are a few reports of adverse effects on liver function, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The same NIH fact sheet notes that ashwagandha might affect thyroid function.
TruHeight markets its gummies as a daily product for children and sells them on subscription, so we consider the unknown long-term safety of ashwagandha in this population group to be a concern.
We don't consider TruHeight Growth Gummies likely to cause serious side effects in healthy children, but the undisclosed ashwagandha dose makes the risk difficult to assess.
TruHeight vs. Kids' Supplements
Here's how TruHeight Growth Gummies compare to other popular kids' supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
NuBest Tall
NuBest Tall Gummies are a growth supplement for kids that's sweetened with sugar alcohols rather than refined sugar.
They contain zinc, which is clinically shown to improve linear growth in young children in developing countries, along with a disclosed vitamin K2 dose.
NuBest Tall Gummies also contain natural flavors, citric acid and an undisclosed proprietary blend, but they don't contain refined sugar or ashwagandha.
NuBest Tall is the winner from both a potential efficacy and a health perspective.
Winner: NuBest Tall
Hiya
Hiya is a children's multivitamin brand that doesn't use refined sugar.
Its only additive of concern is natural flavors, as we documented in our Hiya review.
TruHeight Growth Gummies contain refined sugar, an added phosphate, citric acid and natural flavors, along with ashwagandha at an undisclosed dose.
Hiya is the winner from a health perspective.
Winner: Hiya
MaryRuth's
MaryRuth's is a popular liquid multivitamin brand that's free of added sugar.
Its main additive of concern is natural flavor, which we consider a minor issue compared to the refined sugar, added phosphate and undisclosed ashwagandha dose in TruHeight Growth Gummies.
MaryRuth's is the winner from a health perspective.
Winner: MaryRuth's
TruHeight Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Discloses calcium and vitamin D doses
- Astragalus theoretically supports mild growth support
Cons:
- Unconvincing formulation and research backing
- Ashwagandha dose not disclosed
- Proprietary blend hides ingredient doses
- Blend ingredients dosed far below research levels
- Vitamin K form not specified
- Contains refined sugar
- Contains an added phosphate
- Contains citric acid
- Contains natural flavors
- Outdated pediatrician recommendation claim
- Questionable health claims on brand website
- FTC order over height claims and fake reviews
- Pending class action lawsuit
- Less healthy than competitors
