Breast cancer risks: consumer concerns about hormones in food

Today’s modern food: it’s not what you think

food-in-my-fridge image
Synthetic steroid hormones used as pharmaceutical drugs, have been found to affect cancer risk. Lifetime exposure to natural steroid hormone estrogen is associated with an increased risk for breast cancer. Hence, consumers are concerned about whether they are being exposed to hormones used to treat animals, and whether these hormones affect human health. Day75 image by J.J. Merrick.
  • What are hormones?
  • Why are hormones used in food production?
  • Why are consumers concerned about hormones in foods?
  • History of hormone use in food production
  • What are the different hormones used now by the meat and dairy industries?
  • How are the hormones introduced into the animals?
  • Do federal agencies monitor for the presence of these hormones in food?
  • Do hormones remain in the milk or meat of treated animals?
  • Can steroid hormones in meat affect the age of puberty for girls?
  • Can eating meat from hormone-treated animals affect breast cancer risk?
  • Can drinking milk, or eating dairy products from hormone-treated animals affect breast cancer risk?
  • Can hormones that remain in milk affect human health?
  • What do we know about growth factors in milk of treated animals?
  • Concern about milk-related allergies
  • Are hormone-treated animals healthy?
  • Are growth hormones used elsewhere in the world?
  • Some healthy diet tips that also help reduce exposure to hormones used in food production

Read Consumer Concerns About Hormones in Food, Cornell University,
Fact Sheet #37, June 2000.
Read How did You get your Dose of DES? with Chicken, Turkey, Beef or Vitamin Supplement? See also all posts tagged Stilbosol.

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