Taken literally, this is false. Children voraciously isn’t literally an epiphenomenon of their growth.
Where did “epiphenomenon” come from? I think you’re interpreting him far too uncharitably; he’s not saying “how much a child eats has no impact on their growth,” and indeed he’s saying the opposite. He’s saying that the causal chain starts with the growth hormone, which influences how much they eat, and then the hormone and how much they eat influence how much taller they grow. (And he’s unclear in the first sentence, but I’m pretty sure he does mean taller, not just larger.)
So it is; I agree with you that epiphenomenon is not a sensible description of the impact of eating on growth, and I disagree with Jack; I don’t think that’s a good description of Taubes’s passage there.
Where did “epiphenomenon” come from? I think you’re interpreting him far too uncharitably; he’s not saying “how much a child eats has no impact on their growth,” and indeed he’s saying the opposite. He’s saying that the causal chain starts with the growth hormone, which influences how much they eat, and then the hormone and how much they eat influence how much taller they grow. (And he’s unclear in the first sentence, but I’m pretty sure he does mean taller, not just larger.)
It was Jack who first used the word “epiphenomenal” upthread.
So it is; I agree with you that epiphenomenon is not a sensible description of the impact of eating on growth, and I disagree with Jack; I don’t think that’s a good description of Taubes’s passage there.