The battle over rbGH continues

This is the second half in a series about the use of growth hormones in dairy cattle.

Why all the controversy? Increasingly, studies indicate there are plenty of long-term problems – for both cows and humans – stemming from the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone. Nina Planck, author of “Real Food: What to Eat and Why” describes the impact on cows:

"Industrial cows are milked three times a day. Unfortunately for the cows, the hyperproduction stimulated by rbGH increases her risk of mastitis (udder infections) and shortens her life dramatically, from about ten years to five."

It doesn’t just stop at the cow, however. To treat the mastitis, cows are treated liberally with antibiotics. In other words, drinking milk from cattle injected with Posilac, the commercial name for rbGH, means you’re drinking milk from infected cows. It quite possibly means you’re also consuming the antibiotics that were given to the cow to treat the infections, thus increasing the danger of developing resistance to antibiotics, already a worrying problem with the treatment of various diseases in humans. Most dramatically, cows treated with rbGH also pass on IGF-1 in their milk to humans.

Innocent bystanders or corporate accomplices?

Food and Water Watch, in their letter to Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sibelius, noted:

“FDA’s own publications have demonstrated that milk from cows treated with rbGH show statistically significant increases of the hormone insulin-like growth factor 17 (IGF-1) (which has been linked to breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer, although whether the increased IGF-1 levels due to rbGH in milk would affect health has not been established).”

As an interesting side note, one form of IGF-1 is also the latest enhancement drug to be used by athletes, with notable side effects, including fatigue, “an almost arthritic feeling” in one’s hands, headaches, nausea, and hypoglycemia. All this from a web site touting the benefits of the substance for bodybuilders.

The problems with rbGH don’t stop at milk, however. The rgBH, the antibiotics, and IGF-1 may all be passed on in meat, as well. According to the Humane Society of the United States, “Virtually all dairy cows are ultimately slaughtered for human consumption in the United States. Annually, 6 million culled dairy cows enter the food chain as ground beef, accounting for at least 17% of the ground beef produced in the United States. Since the muscles of dairy cows have a lower fat content, they are commonly used in producing the more expensive ‘lean’ hamburger.”

I’ll end here, with this reminder. This issue isn’t about trying to stop the use of rbGH, although that would be ideal. This is about the fact that the makers of rbGH, Monsanto and pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly (which purchased the right to make the drug from Monsanto in October) are trying to quash dairy producers’ right to advertise the fact their products do not contain rbGH. If Monsanto and their allies are successful, there would be no way for consumers to know whether the milk they drink – or any of the other dairy products made from milk – contains the synthetic hormone.

It’s your right to know, no matter where you stand on the issue.