Are Hormones in Our Food Harmful?

Many companies in the food industry are now adding growth hormones to animals that end up on your dinner table. Due to genetic manipulation, a salmon in the meat section of your local grocery store grows to full size rapidly. The dairy cows that produce the milk on the shelves today produces milk considerably faster than the dairy cows of yesteryear thanks to hormone injections. Americans love to eat beef, so it’s no wonder that calves become fully grown rapidly today, also, due to hormone treatments. Like the commercial salmon they are ready for market in half the time, or less, than typical cattle. You are probably asking if these hormone additives are harmful to your health.

The United States Food and Drug Administration claims that beef and milk from such cows is totally safe for consumption. This FDA reports that it is keeping a close eye on procedures by the cattle and dairy industry, but the details of this monitoring is not disclosed to the American public.

Genetically engineered fruits and vegetables have been eaten by Americans for decades, but until now there has been no genetically engineered animal used for commercial consumption. A few companies want to go one step further than adding hormones to animals. They want to not only continue genetically engineering our fruits and veggies we consume, but our animals, too. The FDA may approve year-round production of genetically engineered giant salmon, which grows twice as fast as wild salmon. The company responsible is AquaBounty, which is a well-known biotech company.

This is a cause for concern. Back in the 50s a synthetic hormone was used to bolster the size of cattle and poultry for the US market place. It was a synthetic estrogen called DES. It was already a drug used in medicine, but in the 70s it was eliminated from our meats when it was determined to cause cancer!

It’s actually not known how such hormone treated or genetically altered meat will affect people even if it is regulated by the FDA. There has been very little research yet on how it affects your health. Buying organic food is your best option, but of course a strain on your wallet.

In conclusion, a noted food expert, Bruce Chassy, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois, reports that cattle treated with growth hormones are actually better for us and our environment. He says that fewer cows are required to yield as much milk, and the AquaBounty salmon that is hormone treated requires much less feed than other salmon. The bottom line is that there’s not been extensive research, yet the FDA reports that your hormone treated foods are safe for you. Are you willing to take that risk?

By Gerald Rivers, Fitness expert

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