All parents think their kids are perfect. With pharmacological tweaking, some can be more perfect than others. The FDA is moving toward approving a drug to enhance healthy kids rather than sick ones, blurring the distinction between vanity and therapy. Athletes are doping; dowagers are Botoxing. Why shouldn't parents try to amp up their little angels? Here are a few of the possibilities.
Human growth hormone (hGh) Effect: Adds height Doctors have prescribed hGh for years to children with stunted growth, but this summer FDA advisers said they'd offer height to the masses. It takes four years of injections and at least $40,000 to elongate your budding supermodel 2 inches.
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) Effect: Builds muscle Lab researchers loaded the IGF-1 gene into the muscles of mice, and the critters Hulked out a bit. But antidoping activists worry that athletes are already using IGF-1, which can cause heart problems.
2-methyl-3-(2-(S) pyrrolidinylmethoxy) pyridine (ABT 089) Effect: Increases intelligence A possible treatment for attention deficit, ABT 089 – now in FDA trials – activates the same brain receptors as nicotine. In some tests it improved animals' ability to concentrate.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Effect: Sharpens awareness In 18 months, this algae-derived fatty acid has made its way into 20 percent of the infant formula sold in the US. It seems to improve babies' visual acuity and scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.
– Martha Bear
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Better Children Through Chemistry
