HORMONE INJECTED
FOOD
Health or Danger ?
WHAT ARE HORMONES ?
 Hormones are very essential for the
proper functioning of the various body
organs of the humans, as well as other
animals
 Hormones are your body's chemical
messengers. A hormone is a chemical
substance produced in the body that
controls and regulates the activity of
certain cells or organs.
HOW DO HORMONES WORK
IN THE BODY ?
 Many processes in the body are coordinated
by hormones which regulate and balance the
working of organs and cells.
 Some hormones have long term effects
(growth).
 Other hormones have shorter term effects.
 Too much, or too little, of a hormone can cause
illness.
 Hormones are basically of two types - steroids and
proteins. Protein hormones are normally in a
cramped stage in the stomach. These hormones lose
their function when we eat anything, while steroid
hormones get active only when we eat anything.
Due to this contradiction, protein hormones must
get induced in the body in order for them to perform
properly. There are several illnesses that are caused
by the lack of several important hormones. For
instance, patients suffering from diabetes need to be
given insulin, which is a protein hormone.
WHERE ARE HORMONES
MADE?
 Hormones are made by specialized
glands or tissues throughout the body.
Most, but not all, hormone glands are part
of the endocrine system.
PROCESSES AFFECTED
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Growth and development
Metabolism
Sexual function
Reproduction
Mood
Artificially induced
hormones today
 Today a high percentage of the cattle in the world are grown using
hormones.
 The mostly used types of hormones are:
- Natural Hormones
Estradiol
Testosterone
Progesterone
- Synthetic Hormones
Melengestrol acetate
Trenbolone acetate
Zeranol
Natural Hormones
There are several natural hormones in food products that are very
useful. Some notable plants contain certain hormone like substances
that are called phytoestrogens (dietary hormones), that can cause
several dysfunctions, it also has remedial properties. It is said that
the phytoestrogens can protect against breast cancer.
There are several researches though that point out the downfalls of the
phytoestrogens. When female rats were fed with isoflavonoid
coumestrol, they showed various physical dysfunctions such as
irregular menstruation in female rats and male rats showed
abnormal mating behavior. The rat offspring also obtained the
induced hormones. This research was carried forward by Patricia L.
Whitten who is a biological anthropologist from Atalanta.
While another research showed extra uterine growth and also increase
in weight. Infertility syndrome called clover disease were observed
in the cattle who were fed on the ear containing these hormones for
research purposes.
Artificial Hormones
It has been observed that there are several hormones
(growth hormones) that help animals gain weight in
no time. Inducing such hormones in the animals
artificially, can reduce the amount of food as well as
the time required for gaining weight. All this results
into quick production of the animals for the meat
industry. The same technique is applied in the dairy
production as it also increases the milk production of
cows and other dairy animals.
What is rBGH?
Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is
composed of three natural hormones and three
synthetic hormones. This product is used to
fatten cows and chicken in the shortest time
possible – in order to reap profit instantly.
Studies and Researches have proven that these
synthetic hormones remain as residue in
poultry, beef, and dairy products right into our
dinner plates. If you’re an X-Men fan, you
won’t believe you’re slowly changing your body
into a hormone-modified system.
NON NATURAL FOODS
They are artificially obtained in two ways:
1.) Hormones which produce growth and accelerated
fattening.
2.)Genetic manipulation: (introduce the wished genes
into the plant or animal DNA so that they show the
desired characteristics: Transgenic or genetically
modified.
Animals that undergo this type of hormone
fattening are mainly:chickens, cows and pigs.
Hormones were introduced through their
fodder.
Are the hormones injected into the
animals?
 From ear implant that is put under the
ear.
Are hormones in our food dangerous?
No one is really sure whether sex hormones in meat or growth
hormones in milk, meat and fish are dangerous for humans or
animals.
It’s not easy to tell if hormones in significant levels remain in the milk
or meat of animals and scientists are attempting to develop more
successful methods to measure hormone residues left in meat from
hormone-enhanced animals.
Farmers have only been using "recombinant bovine growth
hormone" since the mid 1990s and, as breast and other cancers take
a long time to develop, it is difficult to track a link.
Side effects caused by eating
excessive hormone-injected food:
- Headaches
- Muscular trembling (especially in hands)
- Cramps
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Sweating
- Appetite increase
- Nausea
- Palpitation
- Hypertension
Plant Growth Regulators in Vegetable Production
A plant growth regulator is:
* An organic compound,
* Can be natural or synthetic,
* It modifies or controls one or
more specific physiological
processes within a plant but the
sites of action and production are
different.
Plant Growth Regulators in Vegetable Production
If the compound is produced within the
plant it is called a plant hormone
Substances applied externally also can bring
about modifications such as easier separation
of fruit from the stem, etc. A large number of
chemicals tend to increase the yield of certain
plants such as corn and sugarcane.
Both internal plant hormones and lab created
hormones are called plant growth regulators.
Plant Growth Regulators in Vegetable Production
Plant Growth Regulators in Vegetable Production
There are six classes of phytohormones:
Effects of Plant Growth Hormones in human health
Flu-like symptoms typically consist of fever and
chills, malaise, tachycardia, arthralgias, and
myalgias that develop within a few hours after
administration.
Various cytokines are directly or indirectly involved
in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated
inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases.
EU DECISIONS
 According to the EU hormonal presence
/residuals in food could lead to health
problems including cancer. More
research is needed to answer our doubts
conclusively.
 AS a consequence ,Inducing growth
hormones in cattle has been forbidden.
How to Avoid Hormone-injected Food and
Hormone Active Products
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Always look for the USDA Organic Seal of Approval (at
least we can rely on this)
If possible, opt for beef and poultry products from trusted
organic farms, and countries that ban usage of rBGH such as
Australia, Japan, Europe.
To make sure, avoid consuming feedlot beef and spend for
grass-fed beef even if these cost more. After all, you won’t
be eating beef every day.
Peel your fruits and wash vegetables thoroughly before
consuming them.
Avoid buying sub-standard plastic containers loaded with
hormone disrupting chemicals.
GENETICALLY
MODIFIED FOOD
Where can we find genetically
modified products?
CORN
SOY
They are added as
ingredients in,
approximately a 60% of
industrial food:
Chocolates
Sliced bread
AND MANY MORE:
Tinned and frozen food, baby food, icecreams, appetizers, diet food, jams,
margarine, vegetable oil...
Current
Regulations on
Genetically
Modified food
Labelling
Specific labelling is only
compulsory when modified
DNA can be detected through
genetic manipulation or
through the proteins
belonging to this modified
DNA.
-
-
When such DNA is not
detected: it is NOT
compulsory.
Additives and artificial
flavouring (even being
100% transgenic) DO NOT
have to be labelled!
In practice these regulations
exclude from obligation of labelling,
a 90% of commercial products
which contain GMOs or its
components.
STUNNING DISCOVERIES
FROM AUSTRIAN STUDENTS
 EXAMPLES OF 21° century FOOD
PRODUCTION:
The students of the BG11 analyzed
different kinds of food and in the following
text we will show you how food design
has an important impact on the
production and reveal some stunning
facts.
 2)
 The second example reveals an insight into the
production of chicken nuggets. The used chickens
have an overall lifetime of 3 weeks. As soon as they
reach a certain age, they are killed with electroshocks.
Nothing of the killed chickens gets wasted: the nuggets
contain even the eyes, guts and crushed bones. All the
ingredients are pressed together and cut in little pieces
so they fit into your mouth. Finally, they get covered
with flour, get fried and frozen.
 3)
 Lastly, we will talk about salty snacks, like chips. The
students looked closely at two different brands:
Pringles, an international company, and Kelly’s, an
Austrian company. I guess everybody knows Pringles
and their unique shape. That is because the company
hired food designers to create a shape that fits the
tongue and can be easily stacked. Kelly’s chips, on the
other hand, have no certain shape and look more
natural. Pringles’ chips are not made of potatoes.
Basically, they are just flour, water, salt, emulsifiers and
aroma. Kelly’s chips are made of actual potatoes from
real farmland. Of course, they are unhealthy as well,
but they are more natural.
Food production in general changed a lot since automation
gained popularity. Actually food is mostly produced by
machines in an industrial environment.
1)
Orange juice, for example, is not obtained as you might
guess. Some people think the oranges are still picked and
squeezed by hand. But that is not how things work these
days. Let us have a look at the orange juice production of
the 21st century:
At first, all the water and the vitamins get extracted, so what
is left is the pure orange concentrate. That process makes
it easier to store and transport the juice. At your local
factory, the concentrate gets mixed with water. The mixture
results in the well-known orange juice with fewer vitamins.