Unique Israeli product causes short, lean children to grow without becoming obese

The trial was an extension of a previously reported six-month trial conducted by specialists at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva that was led by Prof.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Children walking to school (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Children walking to school
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
An Israeli-developed dietary supplement that claims to promote growth in height and weight in children without causing an increase in the body mass index (BMI) or obesity has been proven in a year-long clinical trial just published in the Journal of Pediatrics. The product can be useful in both Third World and developed countries.
The developer of the product is Nutritional Growth Solutions (NG Solutions). It reported on Monday the results of the clinical trial for Pro-Up, its leading product for supporting growth in children. Results of the trial show clear linear growth in height and weight in children who consumed the nutritional formula, without an obesogenic affect.
The formula contains high-quality whey protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
It is low in fat and high in protein, compared to other existing products.
The trial was an extension of a previously reported six-month trial conducted by specialists at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva that was led by Prof.
Moshe Phillip and Prof. Raanan Shamir.
The first phase was a double-blind, placebo- controlled trial, comprising 200 healthy children aged three to nine years whose height and weight reached only the 10th percentile. The second six-to-12-month phase, reported now, was an open-label extension, using the nutritional formula only, and included 150 of the first-phase participants, 129 of whom completed the six-month extension. The current study focused on children in affluent families but within the normal ranges of weight and height, while most other existing studies focused on malnourished children in developing countries.
Phillip, director of Schneider’s Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetes and CEO of NG Solutions, said: “We are pleased that the second phase of the clinical trial showed a continued improvement in height and weight in short and lean children, without an increase in BMI. This indicates that our nutritional formula, a result of extensive scientific research, is able to drive growth in children. Underweight and short children are prevalent not only in low-income countries, but also in developed countries and in middle-income populations,” he explained.
“Our product can help optimize children nutrition throughout the globe, and help solve one of the major factors influencing children’s health and their ability to thrive.
It is an exclusive, safe solution for healthy short and lean children who don’t meet requirements for growth hormone treatment or don’t wish to use it.”
Results of the study show that children who consumed half of the recommended dose of formula throughout both phases of the study significantly improved their height and weight without increase in their BMI. A dose-response was found between the amount of formula consumed per kg.
and improvement in height and weight.
No serious adverse affects were reported.
The Pro-Up nutritional formula is a result of years of scientific research, studying the interaction between nutrition and growth.
The research also examined the mechanisms responsible for driving height gain, while taking into account the well-established association between adequate nutrition, linear growth and weight gain – which demands balanced nutrition and sufficient calories as prerequisites for linear growth.
Recently, NG Solutions entered into a licensing agreement with GlaxoSmith- Kline Consumer Healthcare Pte Ltd. for producing and marketing the nutritional formula in India and additional countries, where it is called Horlicks Growth+.