Is it safe to give an 8 yr old weight gainer?

Question

My sons father is giving him GNC Pro Performance 1850 weight gainer. He thinks he doesn't weigh enough. He is 4ft. 3in and weighs 54 lbs. This weight gainer has 1850 calories in each serving and I believe he said he was making him drink it 3 times a day. He is at a healthy weight according to Webmd calculations.There are 99 mg of cholesterol and 1645mg of potassium in this stuff. It just doesn't sound right. I made an appoinment with the doctor for him but, its not for a couple of weeks.

Answer 1

This is not a concern that can wait for "a couple of weeks". Is there a teaching university in your area? You can get an appointment there in a matter of hours, especially if you tell them what's going on. Simply put, you do not give ANY child any medication without the approval of an MD! It doesn't matter is it's from GNC or anyone else. If you can't get to a teaching university, check to see if there's a help line like a nurse's help line. You can find out by calling any hospital.....and do it right this minute. And I would call a child abuse hotline and get some information or a really quick referral, and immediately! The cholesterol is of concern but the 1645 mg of potassium is outrageous. The father is a weight lifter? Sounds like it. All this child needs is a balanced diet and exercise and assurances that he is perfect just the way he is.

Answer 2

The good news is that there is nothing in the powder that is particularly harmful -- it's just whey protein and tons of simple carbohydrates like dextrose and maltodextrin. So aside from giving him way too many calories for his size, there should be no long-term damage.

That said, feeding a gainer powder to an eight year old is insane. Really insane. I'm pretty muscular at 170 pounds and have single digit bodyfat and if I was consuming three servings of this powder a day, I'd look like Al Roker before the gastric bypass surgery. That's over 5500 calories a day, which might be appropriate for a 265 lbs. professional bodybuilder on anabolic steroids, but not a 54 pound eight year old.

Instead of making an appointment for your son with the doctor, I'd make one for the boy's father with the psychiatrist. There is some weird body-image thing going on here and your son's father is projecting this on to Jr. It's eerily reminiscent of what pro wrestler Chris Benoit was doing to his seven year old son and we know how that ended up.

Best of luck with this one.

Answer 3

Height / weight charts don't really mean all that much (ie - averages don't really apply to individuals)

HOWEVER, that sounds really scary. This societal obsession with 'beefing up' is very dangerous. A good balanced diet is what is best.

Children don't need 'weight gain' formulas unless directed by a physician.

There's a certain kind of father that wants to push his ego on the world via his son and this vicarious kind of living is not a healthy thing. A father can be proud of his son's achievements withough pushing him to satisfy his own ego needs (or deficiencies).

Each person needs to be respected as an individual and not just an extension of his parents.

Answer 4

NO NO NO !!!!! An 8 year old will grow as he needs to.Those protein builders are medicinally adjusted for the adult which has far different dietary needs than a child.A good sensible diet with plenty of milk and cheese for bone building is the best thing. Lets hope the doctor will have some influence on this obviously pigheaded and macho father..god help the children !

Answer 5

Absolutely

Answer 6

Get a sooner Dr. appointment. This is an urgent matter and the Dr. office would agree.

Answer 7

No its not safe he's only 8 how much does his father want him to weigh?

Answer 8

NO, I wouldn't bother trying to tell the father that though. He sounds stupid and stupid people NEVER listen.

Answer 9

It is not safe. He will be fat and it is better to skiny than fat.

Answer 10

not good for him, because he might get sick.