Milk from rBST-treated cows is used in dairy products including ice cream, butter, cheese and yogurt. The United States does not require companies to label the use of rBST in their products, although it was banned in the European Union in The use of rBST in dairy cows has been shown to increase the concentrations of IGF-1, a protein naturally found in milk.
Though research is mixed on the extent to which dairy consumption is linked to increased cancer risk, higher blood levels of IGF-1 have been linked to increased risk for pre-menopausal breast cancer.
What is rBST? In , the U. It is injected into dairy cows and has been shown to increase milk production by 10 to 15 percent. The synthetic hormone rBST is found in items that use milk in their formation, such as the dairy products cheese, ice cream, butter and yogurt.
Milk derivatives are used in many other food products such as candy bars, chocolate, cakes and even some chips. Research on the link between rBST and breast cancer has produced mixed results, and more study is needed to evaluate the potential association.
Because rbGH use results in more cases of mastitis, dairy farmers tend to use more antibiotics to combat the infections, the residues of which also may end up in milk and dairy products. These residues can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals and contribute to the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria, further undermining the efficacy of some antibiotics in fighting human infections.
Canadian and European regulators have found that the FDA completely failed to consider a study that showed how the increased IGF-1 in rBGH milk could survive digestion and make its way into the intestines and blood stream of consumers. These findings are significant because numerous studies now demonstrate that IGF-1 is an important factor in the growth of cancers of the breast, prostate and colon.
Thankfully, consumer outcry over the unlabeled use of rbGH has led to many dairy companies going rbGH-free, and labeling their products as such. In , only 9. Center for Food Safety is a tax-exempt c 3 organization. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.
This process is also advantageous for producing a more consistent and purified source of bST. The drug also must be effective, meaning that it works as intended. The labeling for animal drug products provides all instructions for safe and effective use and is approved by FDA. The FDA publishes public documents Freedom of Information Summaries on its website that summarize the information that FDA used to determine that the drug is safe for the treated animals, the animal products edible tissues such as meat and milk are safe for humans to eat, and that the product is effective.
After the month lactation period, the producer stops milking the cow to allow a 2-month period for her mammary gland to rest and regenerate before she has a calf and starts the next lactation period. Like most dietary proteins, bST is degraded by digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract and not absorbed intact.
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