What is rbgh and rbst

To us, keeping milk simple and natural is just plain common sense. The treated animal then loses its organic certification and must be removed from the organic herd. What is rBGH? What is rBST? How do These Hormones Work?

Concerns for Humans Opponents of rBGH contend that milk from treated cows has higher levels of growth hormone than milk from non-treated cows. Concerns for Cows While the potential ramifications of rBGH use for humans are certainly worth examining, so are the risks for the cows being given them. Concerns for Milk Given that growth hormones are produced naturally by cows, they can be expected to register at some level in all milk samples.

It promotes growth and cell replication. Recombinant bovine growth hormone rBGH or recombinant bovine somatotropin rBST refers to bovine growth hormone that is made in a lab using genetic technology. Some rBGH products on the market differ chemically from a cow's natural somatotropin by one amino acid.

Both the natural and recombinant forms of the hormone stimulate a cow's milk production by increasing levels of another hormone known as insulin-like growth factor IGF Concerns about possible health effects on humans from milk produced using rBGH have focused on 2 main issues.

If it does, would this be expected to have any health effects in people, including increasing the risk of cancer? Several scientific reviews have looked at these issues and are the main focus of this document. Second, cows treated with rBGH tend to develop more udder infections mastitis. On the other hand, Monsanto ' s website currently states:. This had nothing to do with rBST safety. In January , the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products of the European Union reaffirmed that food products from cows treated with rBST are safe for human consumption, and they recommended the approval of two rBST products based upon their review of all aspects of safety and effectiveness.

Both rely upon government-mandated ' quota systems ' for milk production intended to keep supply in balance with demand. FDA noted that food manufacturers who do not use milk from cows treated with rBST may inform consumers of this fact on their product labels or labeling, provided that the statements are truthful and not misleading, according to a September 12, FDA press release.

The press release stated that FDA determined that the recombinant, or genetically engineered form of BST is virtually identical to a cow ' s natural somatotropin, and concluded that there is no significant difference between milk from treated and untreated cows. Consistent FDA Position. After the controversy surrounding Posilac ' s approval and market debut, and since, as discussed above, FDA consistently found its initial findings to have been accurate. 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.