Hormones in Foods: Should you worry?

Hormones are added to our foods for growth in food-producing animals. Ever since the 1950s, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  has approved many steroid hormone drugs to be given to livestock, which includes estrogen and testosterone as well as their synthetic versions. The hormones affect their growth rates, the leanness of their meat, and the efficiency by which they convert the feed they eat into meat. According to the FDA, they approved the drugs ONLY after extensive studies that have shown that the products from the treated animals are safe for people to eat as well as show that the drugs do not harm the treated animal or the environment. The drugs have proved to work as intended as well.

The steroid hormone drugs are made into pellets that are placed under the skin on the back side of the animal's ear. The pellets slowly dissolves under the skin and doesn't required to be removed. The ears of the treated animals are discarded when the animals are slaughtered and are not be used for  human food, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't food for another animal. Using research from an extended period of time, the FDA has established what are and what are not acceptable safe limits for hormones in meat. The safe level for human consumption the amount of the drug in the meat that would be expected to have no effect in the human body, according to the extensive study and review from the FDA. The approved drugs have a "zero day withdrawal" which means that the meat is safe for humans to eat it anytime after the animal was treated.

There are two types of hormones that would be in the meat that we eat: the "naturally-occurring" hormones and the "synthetic" hormones. The naturally-occurring hormones are the ones that are in our body as well as the bodies of the animals that we eat. It includes estradiol (which is estrogen for female animals), progesterone (which is involved in the reproductive system of the female animals), and testosterone ( for male animals). They are necessary for normal development, growth, and reproduction. People would not be at risk from eating food from animals treated with those drugs because of the amount of additional hormone that comes after the drug treatment is very little compared to the amount of naturally-occurring hormones in the meat of animals that are not treated as well as the hormones that are naturally produced in the human body. The synthetic hormones are the lab-created versions of the natural hormones. They had to preform extensive toxicological testing in animals so that they can determine the safe levels in the animal products that we consume as well as demonstrate that the amount of hormones in the animal meat after the treatment is below the appropriate level.

According to expert scientists appointed by the European Union, there are risks to the health of humans if they consume meat that was was from an animal that was treated by hormones. They say that the consumption of the hormone "residue" or what is remaining in the meat can disrupt the balance of hormones in the human body, cause developmental problems, interfere with the reproductive system, and even lead to the development of cancer. The people most vulnerable to those negative effects are said to be children and pregnant women. The remaining hormones that are in beef are believed to be the cause of puberty beginning at such a young age in girls. That also creates a greater risk of girls developing breast cancer as well as other forms of cancer. The European Union banned the use of growth hormones in cattle and has prohibited the import of hormone-treated beef since 1988; The United States and canada continue to allow cattle to be given six hormones (three naturally-occurring and three synthetic) dispute the scientific concern.

There are also environmental risks because of the hormones. There are hormone residues that are found in cow manure and when excreted, it can contaminate the surface and groundwater, which in turn harms the local ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems are actually the most vulnerable to the negative impacts of the growth hormone residues. There was a recent study that showed that exposure to the hormones has a substantial effect on the capability of the reproductive system of fish.

By law, poultry and hogs are not permitted to be given hormones. However, they are allowed to be fed growth enhancer and feed additives. I would compare that to a protein supplement. They are not considered hormones however there are concerns that there are negative effects to the health of those who may consume it. Chickens and pigs may have been fed beef or a beef byproduct which may contain the hormones. That is thought to be one way that the hormones were getting into the poultry supply. However, it is uncertain whether or not the hormones transferred through the poultry affects human health, therefore it is your choice to determine if you would want to consume the poultry or pork.


 Read more at Huffington Post: Hormones in Foods: Should you worry?