The question of whether steroids can increase height is a common concern. The straightforward answer is no; steroids do not make you taller. Instead, they typically cause a premature halt to linear growth. This effect varies based on the specific type of steroid involved, which generally fall into two categories: Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AAS), often used for performance enhancement, and Corticosteroids, prescribed for inflammatory conditions.
Understanding How Human Height is Determined
Increasing height, known as somatic growth, relies on the elongation of long bones in the arms and legs. This occurs at specialized structures called epiphyseal plates, or growth plates, located near the ends of these bones. The plates are composed of cartilage cells that constantly proliferate and then differentiate into bone cells through endochondral ossification.
As a child grows, the expanding cartilage pushes the bone ends apart, resulting in increased height. This growth is tightly regulated by hormones, including Growth Hormone (GH) and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1). Final adult height is determined when these plates stop producing new cartilage and completely turn into solid bone, a process called fusion or closure.
The final closure of the growth plates is primarily triggered by sex hormones that surge during puberty, namely estrogen and testosterone. Once the cartilage is replaced by bone, the potential for any further increase in linear height is permanently lost. Therefore, anything that accelerates this natural hormonal signal can prematurely stop the growth process.
Anabolic Steroids and Premature Growth Plate Fusion
Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AAS) are synthetic compounds chemically similar to testosterone, often misused to build muscle mass. When adolescents who are still growing use AAS, they risk permanently stunting their potential height. The mechanism behind this growth stunting is directly linked to the body’s natural process for ending growth.
Although testosterone is an androgen, a significant portion is converted into estrogen in the body through an enzyme called aromatase. Since AAS are synthetic forms of testosterone, they also undergo this conversion. This sudden and excessive surge of estrogen signals the growth plates to begin the fusion process much earlier than they would naturally.
This premature fusion of the epiphyseal plates results in the permanent cessation of linear growth. The individual will not reach the height dictated by their genetics. Because this effect accelerates a permanent biological event, the younger a person is when they begin using AAS, the more significant and irreversible the loss of potential height will be.
Corticosteroids: A Different Impact on Development
Corticosteroids (or glucocorticoids), which include drugs like prednisone, are prescribed to treat inflammation, asthma, and autoimmune diseases. These steroids affect growth differently than AAS, causing a slowing of growth rather than direct, premature fusion of the growth plates. Corticosteroids interfere with the body’s growth pathways by disrupting the Growth Hormone-Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (GH-IGF-1) axis.
High doses or long-term use of corticosteroids can suppress the production of Growth Hormone from the pituitary gland. They also reduce the effectiveness of IGF-1, which mediates the growth effects of GH at the cellular level. This interference leads to a decrease in the rate of bone elongation.
Corticosteroids also have a catabolic (tissue-breaking-down) effect, which further impairs the formation of bone and cartilage required for growth. This growth suppression is dependent on the dose and duration of the treatment. The suppression is sometimes reversible, and growth velocity can recover after the medication is discontinued, provided the natural growth period has not yet ended.