Types of hormones fed to animals and their effects

Currently it is very common that animals for human consumption, like chickens, pigs, and cows, have been fed with hormones to increase their weight, size, and to make them grow faster so they can be sold faster. This makes them more profitable than normal animals.

Unfortunately these hormones affect the way that our system functions; over time this can bring us several health problems.

There are six natural and artificial hormones that are used in agricultural livestock production which have a potential risk to human health.

Natural hormones used in agriculture animals are:

• Progesterone: is a naturally occurring reproductive hormone. It has been linked to tumors in the reproductive tract of animals.
  
• Testosterone: is a steroid reproductive hormone. It has been linked to prostate cancer in laboratory animals.
  
• Estradiol: is a hormone identified as a “complete carcinogen”, which promotes and initiates the growth of tumors. it has been linked to shrinking of the thymus gland.
  (Source on link 1)

Artificial or synthetic hormones are:

• Trenbolone: (trenbolone acetate hormone) is a hormone that has been linked to the pancreatic and liver tumors as well as hyperplasia.
  
• Zeranol: is another synthetic hormone linked to testicular abnormalities and pituitary gland tumors.
  
• Melengestrol: is systematically fed to cattle as a feed additive. It is linked to mammary tumors in female laboratory animals.
  (Source on link 1)

These types of hormones can leave residues on the meat that humans consume. It is possible that all these different kinds of residues can affect the health of those who eat meat.

“The Committee also questioned whether hormone residues in the meat of "growth enhanced" animals and can disrupt human hormone balance, causing developmental problems, interfering with the reproductive system, and even leading to the development of breast, prostate or colon cancer.” (Quote Link 1)

Hormones can be harmful to the point that they cause different types of cancer in the human beings who consume this meat.


Bibliography:
1. http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/hormones/ (Quote)
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10844188
3. http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/Factsheet/Diet/fs37.hormones.cfm

By: Andres David Veloz Hernandez

Hormones and their functions

Human hormones are chemicalsnaturally released by cells in the body that send out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Hormones coordinate processes like growth, metabolism, and fertility. For example, hormones plays different roles but they have a particularly vital role in helping the body to adjust to changes in its environment, which is often necessary for survival. Hormones are the reason of why your arms are the same length and why you transform food into energy every day.

All cells are exposed to hormones circulating in the bloodstream but not all of them react. The hormones only target cells which will respond to the signal and have receptors for that hormone. So when the hormone blinds to its receptor it causes a biological response within the cell. They are like a radio signal with an antenna, but signaling ends when the circulating hormones are broken down and excreted by the body.

The hormones that humans produce naturally may regulate the production and release of other kinds of hormones, other functions of these hormones are:

• Regulation of the metabolism
• Control the reproductive cycle
• Stimulation or inhibition of growth
• Mood swings
• Preparation of body for a new phase of life
• Hunger cravings
• Activation or inhibition of the immune system
• Preparation of the body for mating, fighting, fleeing and other activities

Among the various activities of the body that make homoestasis (homeostasis is the tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions) possible are those of the hormones, literally meaning "exciters" or "arousers". They are extremely powerful tiny bits of either simple or compound substances that accomplish their mission in quantities so small as to defy imagination. Some hormone particles are so small that it would take three thousand million of them to equal one ounce.

So these are properties and functions of the human body hormones and for what are used in the organism and why its harmful or dangerous to have more than neccesary hormones produced by the body, and the dangerous risk of cancer in the worst cases of excessive hormones on human body.

By: Andres David Veloz Hernandez