The Hormone Myth
“How safe is our beef” is a topic of media attention, which increases or decreases depending on rumour or incidents in the world’s beef industry.Very rarely are either the media or consumers at large sufficiently knowledgeable to make any kind of intelligent judgement on potential foodborne hazards. Their stance on the subject has traditionally been emotional and void of any scientific substantiation.
Dr. Dixie Lee, Governor of Washington State, made an interesting statement in 1989, “despite all the evidence of our physical wellbeing – beyond the dreams of all previous generations – we seem to have become a nation of easily frightened people. Perhaps we can be classified as the healthiest hypochondriacs in the world”.
The use of anabolic steroids in animal production, to enhance the well being of the animals while maximising feed efficiency, is one such perceived hazard, which warrants objective comment.
The optimum growth of all body tissue is directly related to hormones. They are found everywhere in the animal kingdom and are secreted and consumed by man and animal daily in varying amounts.
1. Hormones in food
- Vegetables, in man’s diet, contribute close to 90% of all compounds with hormonal activity.
- Vegetables contain specific phyto hormones and these are also found in the fodder consumed by domestic animals.
- Phyto-hormones with an ostrogenic activity are found in natural vegetable products consumed daily by man for example potatoes, cherries, apples, cabbage, and beans, even hops used in the preparation of beer. They are also found in soya and sunflower oils.
- Interestingly enough beer contains more than ten times the hormone level of beef, which means that eleven steaks of 300 grams each will have the same amount of hormones as a 340ml can of beer.
Below are set out comparative levels of hormones in beef compared with commonly used “natural” foodstuffs.
Equivalent amounts: |
|
| Soyabean oil | 1 000 000 ng / 500 grams |
| Cabbage | 12 000 |
| Wheat germ | 2 000 |
| Peas | 2 000 |
| Eggs | 7 500 |
| Ice cream | 3 000 |
| Milk | 65 |
| Beef from non-implanted cattle | 8 |
| Beef from implanted cattle | 11 |
2. Naturally occurring estrogen in humans
| Pregnant women | 900 000 000 ng / 500 grams |
| Non-pregnant women | 5 000 000 |
Adult man |
100 000 |
| Pre-puberal children | 40 000 |
| Beef from implanted cattle | 11 |
3. Hormones in animal production
Hormones are used to improve to efficiency of conversion of feed energy to lean meat.When they are used it is only done on the recommendation of specialist veterinary physicians and the withdrawal periods prescribed by the manufacturers are always applied before cattle are sent to the abattoir.
Five hormones have been approved for use in beef production by our Registrar under Act 36 of 1947 and these only after many years of extensive local and international safety trials. These are estradiol, progresterone and testosterone, which are the natural hormones and two synthetic hormones zeranol and trenbalone acetate. Studies in the US indicate that any increase above the natural level of these naturally occurring hormones in implanted cattle is so minute as to be insignificant. Residues from an implant cannot be differentiated from naturally occurring hormone levels.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, one of the strictest human health safety organisations in the world, has approved the use of properly administered hormonal implants for beef production.
Implant safety is also implied in the fact that in 40 years of application no safety problem has ever arisen.
4. “Normally produced beef” vs “natural beef”
Advertising strategies around “Natural Beef” have been structured to convince consumers that “Normally” produced Beef is unhealthy and inferior while the “Natural” product is from an “uncontaminated pure” background. This raises concerns in the minds of consumers regarding the safety and healthiness of normal beef. Studies conducted by the centre for Red Meat Safety found that it is highly unlikely that there is any difference between residues of harmful chemicals in “normal beef” vs “natural beef”.5. EU Hormone Ban
The “Hormone Ban” is one of the better known non tariff barriers implemented by a country to protect its domestic market.
The “Hormone Ban” implemented by EU member countries is often cited as having scientifically based proof of the “dangers” involved in consuming hormone treated products.
It is a well established fact that the whole “Hormone Ban” revolved around two reasons:
- To prevent EU producers contributing even more to their over production of beef and adding larger volumes to the already large Intervention Stockpile.
- To keep US Beef exports out of Europe.
It was concluded that the attempts to ban US hormone implanted beef were not based on any scientific evidence whatsoever. As a result of this ruling the US has been granted commensurate trade relief.
6. Summary
(i) Growth hormones occur naturally in all animals and humans.(ii) Growth hormones occur in much higher levels in food products other than beef.
(iii) The following prominent agencies renowned for their concern for human food safety concluded that the hormones used in beef production pose no safety risk to humans consuming the beef:
- US Food and Drug Administration
- World Health Organisation (WHO)
- Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
- Codex Alimentarius
- European Economic Community (EEC)
- Scientific Working Group on Anabolic Agents (1981)
- European Community (EC) Scientific conference on Growth Promotion in Meat Production (1995)
of implantation of hormones in beef production units are totally unfounded.
