Tall tales

Some food products are advertised as being capable of increasing one’s height.

Joanne Noriega of the Bronx, New York bought PediaSure Grow & Gain vanilla and strawberry drinks for her short 8-year-old grandson, believing the product’s claim that it was “clinically proven” to help children aged 2 to 13 grow taller “within 8 weeks,” New York Post reported.

The boy drank PediaSure twice a day as recommended on the label but after one year, Noriega said, “her grandson was still short but had become so overweight that she stopped buying the product,” according to NYP.

Noriega then sued Abbott Laboratories, maker of PediaSure, for misleading consumers. US District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan recently rejected the company’s petition to dismiss the lawsuit.

The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages not only for herself but also for other New York consumers “deceived into buying or overpaying for PediaSure,” NYP said.

Meanwhile, Spanish-speaking content creator Laura Mejia shared with her 1.8-million TikTok followers an alternative to height-enhancing drinks.

In the video which has drawn more than 4 million views, Mejia is shown putting a stick-on tattoo on her tummy and spraying it with water for it to transfer.

Mejia advised viewers to place the sticker of a fake navel higher than their belly button to make the torso appear longer and give the impression of tallness.

Upon looking at her reflection in the mirror with the fake navel on, Mejia said she seemed unsure if the sticker worked.

“I feel like instead of looking taller, I’m wider, but it’s because I’m crazy, but I don’t know!” she said in Spanish, laughing, according to NYP.