Corporate meat producers use growth hormones to mass-produce meat products more efficiently and economically. When injected into young cattle, chicken or other animals, certain hormones stimulate faster weight gain, meaning the meat producers don't have to wait as long to slaughter the animals and don't have to spend as much money feeding them. The European Economic Community banned U.S.-produced, hormone-treated meat in 1989, but the practice continues in the U.S., despite consumer fears about the health consequences.
Types of Hormones
Some hormones are natural proteins that your stomach breaks down and doesn't pass into your bloodstream, so they have no effect on your body's overall health. Steroid hormones, however, according to the Cornell University website, "are active in the body when eaten." Birth control pills contain a type of steroid hormone.
Cancer Concerns
In 2007, Australian researcher Mike Waters of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland published a review in the American journal "Endocrinology" supporting the claims of many consumer groups that meat injected with growth hormones could lead to cancer. He pointed to numerous studies that connected consumption of growth-hormone-treated meat with cancer, as well as studies that found that inhibiting growth hormones helps "reduce both size and number of tumours."
Early Puberty
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the average age that girls reach puberty has been getting lower. A University of Brighton study published in the "Public Health Nutrition" journal found that girls who eat a lot of meat tend to reach puberty at a significantly younger age than girls who eat less meat. However, meat might not be the only cause -- the researchers also speculated that environmental pollution could contribute to the lower puberty age. Nevertheless, the National Resources Defense Council recommends lowering consumption of fatty animal foods -- including dairy and seafood, as well as meat.
Regulation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture officially decrees that meat must have less than 1 percent of the hormone levels produced by human children. However, this is an unenforceable law, according to Dr. Samuel Epstein of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. It is virtually impossible to distinguish injected hormones from an animal's natural growth hormones, and the USDA does not test meat for growth hormone content, so the use of growth hormones in meat is unregulated in the United States.
References
- Cornell University: Consumer Concerns About Hormones in Food
- Cancer Prevention Coalition; "American Beef: Why is it Banned in Europe?"; Samuel Epstein
- Medical News Today; "Growth Hormone Could Promote Cancer, According to New Research, Australia"; September 2007
- Natural News; "Hormones in Meat Cause Young Girls to Reach Puberty Sooner"; David Gutierrez; October 23, 2010
