Human growth hormone, or HGH, is produced by the human pituitary gland, according to MayoClinic.com. The pituitary gland is a very small pea-sized organ located near your brain and it produces HGH throughout your entire life. HGH does not occur in foods, since only humans produce it, but some animals, such as cows, are injected with a similar hormone to help make them produce more milk.
Function
The purpose of HGH to help maintain organs and tissues throughout your entire life. When you become middle-aged, according to MayoClinic.com, your pituitary gland slows down the amount of growth hormone it once produced. This slowdown in the production of the human growth hormone is what peaked interest in the use of synthetic growth hormone. Some proponents believe that using a synthetic version of the human growth hormone will help ward off aging to your body.
Foods
The type of growth hormone used in foods is not the same kind of hormone that humans produce, although, it is similar. Some farm animals, such as dairy cows, are injected with a growth hormone to help them produce more milk than they normally would. Cows are injected with bovine growth hormone, or rbGH, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA performed a human food safety evaluation and determined that it is safe for humans to eat beef that has been injected with this growth hormone. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of synthetic rbGH in 1993, while other countries such as Canada and the European Union do not permit the use of rbGH.
Concerns
While the U.S.F.D.A. long ago approved the use of growth hormones on dairy cows, there are still some concerns about its effects on humans, according to the American Cancer Society. The ACS questions whether or not milk products taken from dairy cows injected with the hormone could cause cancers in humans. The ACS also points out that cows that are injected with rbGH tend to develop more udder infections, such as mastitis. This raises concerns in regards to these cows receiving more antibiotics than cows that are not given rbGH and how those additional antibiotics affect humans.
Diet
If you're concerned about the chemicals found in your foods, whether it's milk, meat or pesticides on your fruits and vegetables opt for organic foods. Organic foods are grown and raised without chemicals and pesticides. Farmers rely on natural resources, such as rich soil, manure and water to grow crops and allow the animals access to the outdoors. The animals are not given steroids, growth hormones, antibiotics or medications in an organic environment.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Human Growth Hormone (HGH): Does It Slow Aging?; Mayo Clinic Staff; Feb. 2011
- "American Journal of Science": Bovine Growth Hormone: Human Food Safety Evaluation; J.C. Juskevish and C.G. Guyer; Aug. 1990
- American Cancer Society: Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone; Feb. 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Organic Foods: Are They Safer? More Nutritious?; Mayo Clinic Staff; Dec. 2010
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