Effects of Hormones in Our Food

In 2006 our worlds tender-hearted population was approximately 6. 7 billion. It is projected to development to 9. 2 billion by 2050. With this many hoi polloi in the world you need a substantial amount of sustenance to feed them. But, this leads to a fuss in the food industry. Animals do not grow fast enough in order to take on these high demands. In order to compensate for the lack of supply of food the farmers need to somehow suffice their animals grow faster. For the solution they introduced the use of hormones. These hormones include estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, zeranol, trenbolone ethanoate and melengesterol acestate.Some of these hormones atomic number 18 found naturally in humans and some are synthetic growth promoters. But, is it safe for these foods to be consumed by people and do they have any effects on our bodies? First, lets define the term hormone. Hormones are chemicals that are produced naturally by our bodies and in the bodies of animals. They are r eleased into our blood by the organs that produce them and they travel to incompatible parts of the body. They affect body functions such as growth, development and reproduction. So how are these hormones beneficial to food producers?Well, they improve the meat quality, increase feed efficiency, reduce costs for producers, increase slaughter time and increase animal growth cycles to name a few. Lets take a closer bearing at the specific hormones used in this industry. Estradiol, in the human body, is a form of estrogen, a distaff hinge upon hormone produced by the ovaries. Estradiol is used to treat symptoms of menopause, prevention of osteoporosis, replacement of estrogen in women with ovarian failure and sometimes used as a cancer treatment. Progesterone is used to suffer menstrual periods in women.It is also used to prevent overgrowth in the lining of the uterus. Testosterone is a sex hormone that is produced in male testicles. It is used to treat conditions in males such as delayed puberty, impotence, or different hormonal imbalances. Is it also used in women to treat breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Zeranol is a potent nonsteroidal growth promoter that mimics many of the effects of estradiol. It is used extensively in the United States and Canada to promote rapid and more efficient growth rates in animals.Trenbolone acetate is a potent androgen that produces very strong anabolic activity. It is primarily used to buildup muscle mass. Melengestrol acetate is a synthetic progestin used primarily for the suppression of estrus in heifers it also helps animals to brighten weight faster and limit the amount of feed eaten. Yes, all these hormones prove to be beneficial to producers in many ways. But, our society today is focused on consume at fast food restaurants and eating lots of meat products. These hormones used are usually still detectable in the meat that we consume. flat ask yourself how much meat do you eat in a week? A month? A year? Think about how much of those hormones you are ingesting into your body. Yes, they are at low levels solely if you eat these products constantly on a regular basis your body is being exposed to a high amount of these hormones which can alter your body functions. For example, according to the interior(a) Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health, estradiol and progesterone are considered probable carcinogens.Estrogen has been linked to breast cancer in women and testosterone with prostate gland cancer in men. Progesterone has been found to increase the growth of ovarian, breast and uterine tumors. Expert D. Lindsey Berkson, compose of Hormone Deception, worry that hormones in food could be at least partly responsible for early(a) puberty. The average age for a girls fist period is now between 12. 5 to 12. 9 for Caucasian girls and around 12. 2 for African American girls which are significantly younger than previous(prenominal) years.