by Emma Newton

Abstract
Growth –promoting hormonal substances have been used in raising cattle for more than three decades. Hormonal substances are a term used to describe sex hormones given to cattle. There are three natural (Oestradiol, Progesterone and Testosterone) and three synthetic hormones (Zeranol, Trenbolone, and Melengestrol) – the synthetic hormones are meant to mimic the natural ones and are not supposed to be harmful. According to the FDA, “Unlike naturally-occurring steroid hormones, there is no natural production of the synthetic compounds, trenbolone acetate, zeranol, and melengestrol acetate (MGA). These compounds are not metabolized as quickly as the naturally-occurring steroid hormones”.
Today, these synthetic hormonal substances have been approved for use in the United States. They are safe for the cattle, the producers who use the products, and the consumers of the beef of implanted cattle.
Growth-promoting steroid hormones are typically released into the animal from a pellet (ear implant) that is put under the skin of the cattle’s ear. The ears of the animals are discarded at slaughter time.
My article will address three points affirming the argument that growth-promoting hormones are a safe and effective production tool in the cattle industry. The first is addressing why growth-promoting hormonal substances are used in the beef industry. The second point addresses the safety of these substances and the third point explains the relationship between hormonal-free beef and beef that has been injected with a growth-hormonal substance. The third point will explain how there is no such thing as “hormone-free beef”.

POINT # 1 – Why are hormones used in the cattle industry? Hormones are not intended to harm the cattle or consumers, but to help both parties. Hormones are used in the cattle industry so that the animal may use its feed efficiently. In feeder cattle, the estrogenic growth promoting hormone improves feeding efficiency and gain 5-15 percent. The use of hormonal substances results in the development of more lean meat with less fat deposited in that meat, more growth using less feed, and cost reduction for the cattle producer which saves the consumer money by allowing them to purchase less expensive beef.
Animal scientist Michael J. Fields from the University of Florida claims that farmers pay about $1 to $3 per head to treat their livestock. Treatment increases the animals’ growth by 20 percent. Therefore, Fields claims, each cow in a feedlot typically gains 3 pounds per day. Each pound that the animal gains, it consumes 15 percent less feed than an untreated animal without the hormonal substance does. “This feed efficiency works out to a cost savings of about $40 per head, so you get more protein at a cheaper cost,” Fields says.
A hormone-treated animal gains weight more rapidly. The estrogenic implants approved for use in calves improves weight by 3-5 percent. The pastured cattle’s base weight gain is 1.5 pounds per day. This weight increase produces leaner, optimal quality beef at harvest. By reaching market weight sooner, there is a reduction in the cost of beef production. Thus, consumers are provided with a higher quality of meat at lower prices.
The use of growth-promoting hormonal implants in cattle is one of the most cost effective ways of enhancing cattle gain and efficiency of gain. The hormones enhance protein deposition while diminishing fat buildup.

POINT #2 – The second point addresses how hormones affect the safety of beef. For more than 50 years the US cattle industry has safely used hormones in beef production to help provide consumers with a consistently high quality, affordable meat supply.
The FDA is liable for guaranteeing that animal drugs and medicated feeds are efficient and safe for animals and that food from affected animals is safe for humans to consume. Specific steroid hormones have been permitted for use at low concentrations to progress feed efficiency in beef cattle and/or increase the rate of weight gain of the animals. All of the steroid hormonal growth-promoting drugs can be purchased over-the-counter in the United States. These hormonal substances are usually administered by the livestock producer at certain stages of production in the cattle’s life. Residue levels of these hormones in food have proven to be safe because they are well below any level that would have an adverse effect in humans.
Even scientists in the European Union (EU) – which has banned the importation of beef from animals raised with growth promoting hormones – have concluded that the meat from these animals is safe. In 2002, an EU member state released a study that concluded the EU ban of hormone-injected meat was not based on sound-science.
The safety of hormone use has been reviewed by many experts and agencies including the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. All have concluded that hormones can be used safely in beef production and are confident in the argument that international consumers can confidently eat beef from the United States for its safety and quality.
After scientific review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration discovered that the hormones permitted in U.S. beef production are safe. The FDA concluded that consumers of hormone-injected beef are not at risk from eating food from these animals. The amount of added growth hormone is minor compared to the amount normally found in the edible tissues of untreated cattle.
It can be determined that hormones are safe because the substances that can be used in animals must be approved in the following ways: the substances must be effective for its purpose (the hormone is doing what it’s supposed to do), be safe for the animals, and result in food products that are safe for humans to eat.
Each beef producer individually makes a decision on the use of hormonal substances in their cattle. This decision is based on many factors including the costs and benefits of purchasing and administering the hormone. For the producers who choose not to administer the growth-promoting hormones, they may want to enter a smaller niche market, providing beef products to individuals that require a more organic cut of meat.
FDA and international scientific experts have concluded there is essentially no difference physiologically between beef from animals raised using hormones and those raised without their use. On all occasions of testing across nearly five decades, the six hormones used by the U.S. beef industry have always been found to pose no measurable or adverse health effects to consumers.

POINT #3 – The third point explains that there is no such thing as hormonal free beef – even beef raised organically will contain hormones. All animals contain hormones because all animals produce hormones naturally. The hormone levels found in a sample of organic beef are similar to beef from animals that are given hormonal substances.
The hormone levels in beef produced using growth hormones are well within the range of the physically natural occurring levels of these hormonal substances in cattle. For example, a beef sample from an uncastrated bull not administered growth-promoting hormones contains testosterone levels more than ten times higher than the amount in beef from a castrated steer that has received hormones for growth promotion.
A second example explains that a three-ounce serving of beef from an animal treated with natural estradiol contains 1.9 nanograms of estrogen, compared to 1.2 nanograms in an untreated cattle sample. A human would have to eat greater than 6 kilograms of beef from animals treated with these hormones in order to equal the amount of hormones found in a single egg.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Consumers are not at risk of eating food from animals treated with these (naturally-occurring) compounds because the amount of added hormone is negligible compared to the amount normally found in the edible tissues of untreated animals and that are naturally produced by the consumer’s own body.”

Conclusion
There exist many reasons and facts to help consumers understand that their American beef is safe, even with the injection of growth-promoting hormones into the cattle. First of all, the FDA has conducted studies and none so far provide any evidence that hormone residues in meat products cause any adverse health effects on humans. Other international organizations have also concluded that the beef is safe, even if they banned importing beef from the United States. The injection of the growth-promoting substance comes with many rules and regulations meant to keep the farmer, cattle, and consumer safe. These hormones are made to provide good things to farmers and consumers, not bad, unwanted health effects.