The Claim: Hormones in Milk Cause Early Puberty

NY Times ^ | March 8, 2005 | ANAHAD O'CONNOR

[Petronski]

I hate whole milk, by the way...and 2% and 1% for that matter.

[aruanan]

Could artificial growth hormones that had been widely used on cows since 1993 be speeding development in children?

A. No.

B. Non-primate growth hormones cannot dock with primate growth hormone receptors. Even if non-primate growth hormones were injected, they wouldn't have any effect on puberty or growth.

C. Primate growth hormones, though, can dock with non-primate growth hormone receptors, so calves could experience some effect from drinking sufficient quantities of human milk.

[krb]

Whatever it is, it's making their boobies bigger too. I see young ladies around town who are definitely more developed than what we had when I was a lad.

[mother22wife21]

I'm so goofy, reading your comment, and thinking about the fact that I ended up giving my daughter soy for the same reason, and talking on the phone with friend must have fried certain circuits for me. Happens alot now that I'm pregnant. *smile*

I think that is why I perked up when she made the comment about soy, when I posted the question I completely fogged out that you had mentioned it. Please forgive the brain fog.

[mother22wife21]

I'm sorry, I'll have to pony up to being dense. I don't understand.

[mother22wife21]

*smile* yep, hot pants would have made my beehind hot, too hot to sit on for sure.

[aruanan]

For a FACT girls were not so well-developed when I was younger.

They just weren't wearing the clothing to emphasize it. Also, if you're talking four decades ago, then many of those girls had been breastfed. Puberty is delayed somewhat in breastfed children.

[RobRoy]

My youngest is 17 and has lots of friends in high shcool. They still have their share of sleepovers at our house and my wife are involved in her school.

We both are quite aware that on average, the girls today have MUCH LARGER breasts than girls of our day (graduated in 1972).

It's not even close.

In high school I was the school photographer and there was this one girl we all called "mountains." I took her picture as a sample of "girls allowed to wear jeans in school" and cropped it just above her breasts. The paper cropped it below them before publishing (stupid teachers, what do they know). I still have the original and what we called "big" back then (and I mean REALLY big), was about what you would call average today.

Of course this is just anecdotal...

[petitfour]

That is baloney. All of our children have been breastfed. Our oldest two daughters have matured three years earlier than I. I mark it up to genetics as the females on hubby's side were early bloomers as well. Even grandma-in-law developed early. I would bet her mother did as well, but I have never asked. Our oldest started putting on weight when she was seven though there was no change in our diets. Our second daughter is thin, but she is much taller than her peers. It's all genetics.

[St. Johann Tetzel]

Good job, thanks.

[oldcomputerguy]

caused by growth hormones in the food supply.

There is little doubt in my mind they cause problems and in fact are assimilated by the consumers.

For anecdotal evidence, let's thinks about football players, 240 lbs was a lineman's size in 1975, 340 now. How does that happen?

For observational evidence, let's think about my dog. He was partially neutered and left with one testicle as the other had not dropped when he was neutered. Feed him normal milk and he humps the stuffed animal toy he has within minutes. Feed him organic milk and he does not. Why is that?

For concrete evidence, I was talking to a farmer near my rural Mississippi country place. He raised cattle and chickens. He told me the chickens he raises grow from a few ounces to 9 pounds in 60 days, the roosters up to 12-13 pounds and their legs are so brittle they will break easily.

Oh and the cows. He told me he used injectable ear pellets that really made them grown big and fast. He figured if one was good two or three were better but it made the cows head swell so he had to discontinue that.

And the best part, he told me the hormone laced ear pellets were being withdrawn from the market!!!!! He stocked up since he wouldn't be able to get anymore. I don't blame him, he was only trying to make a living but who withdrew them and why??? Have you seen any stories about that on the news?

[oldcomputerguy]

"studies about BGH, I'm not aware of any"

Try this URL:

http://notmilk.com/

[GunnyHartman]

I don't know about early puberty but it sure made me into the pillar of society that I am today.

[wideminded]

I have felt concern for a Grandchild who had to be transferred to soy milk in early infancy because of intolerance to regular formula. Some believe that natural hormones in soy might effect children in some way later on.

I have heard that children who were raised on soy milk tend to have weaker immune systems. Somehow this is related to the presence of compounds in soy that are similar to estrogen. On the other hand someone I know has a baby who was transferred to soy milk and he seems very healthy.

[Petronski]

Peer-reviewed studies, not the milk equivalent of PeTA.

[oldcomputerguy]

This is piece from notmilk.com about growth hormone


Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) in humans and cows are identical. Like a key fitting into a lock, this hormone is a perfect match between two species of animal and exerts powerful growth effects. IGF-I is the most powerful growth hormone in the human body. Every sip of milk and every bite of cheese contains IGF-I.

"BGH-treated milk is safe because it is indistinguishable from normal milk."

Executive Branch Report on rbGH, February 9, 1994

"Milk from cows given supplemental bovine somatotropin is the same as any other milk... Unfortunately, a few fringe groups are using misleading statements and blatant falsehoods as part of a long-running campaign to scare consumers about a perfectly safe food."

Statement of C. Everett Koop on Genetically engineered milk, February 6, 1994

"Five independent authorities, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), World Health Organization (WHO), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and ex-Surgeon General C. Everett Koop had found rbGH-treated milk to be indistinguishable from normal milk."

Monsanto (manufacturer of rbGH) Press Release, June, 1992

"From 1984 to 1986, Dr. Daughaday was the recipient of a research contract from Monsanto Company, a small fraction of which was paid to Dr. Daughaday as a consulting fee.

JAMA, 264 (8), 8/22/90 (Dr. Daughaday, the author of the JAMA publication was an "independent authority" referred to in Monsanto's Press Release)

"Recombinant rbGH treatment produces an increase in the concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in cow's milk."

FDA review of genetically engineered milk SCIENCE, 8/24/90, Vol 249

"After somidobove (rbGH) injection, mean IGF-I levels in the treated milk are always higher than those found in the controls."

World Health Organization Report Geneva, Switzerland. June, 1992

"Levels of IGF increase in milk after cows are treated with rbGH."

December, 1990 National Institutes of Health Assessment of Bovine Somatotropin

"A strong positive association was observed between IGF-I levels and prostate cancer risk."

Science, vol. 279. January 23, 1998

"Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, a mitogenic and antiapoptotic peptide, can affect the proliferation of breast epithelial cells, and is thought to have a role in breast cancer."

The Lancet, vol. 351. May 9, 1998

"Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), in particular IGF-I and IGF-II, strongly stimulate the proliferation of a variety of cancer cells, including those from lung cancer. High plasma levels of IGF-I were associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Plasma levels of IGF-I are higher...in patients with lung cancer than in control subjects."

Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol. 91, no. 2. January 20, 1999.

"Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is expressed in many tumor cell lines and has a role in both normal cell proliferation and in the growth of cancers.

Cancer Gene Ther, 2000 Mar, 7:3

"The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system is widely involved in human carcinogenesis. A significant association between high circulating IGF-I concentrations and an increased risk of lung, colon, prostate and pre-menopausal breast cancer has recently been reported. Lowering plasma IGF-I may thus represent an attractive strategy to be pursued..."

Int J Cancer, 2000 Aug, 87:4, 601-5

"... serum IGF-I levels increased significantly in the milk drinking group…an increase of about 10% above baseline-but was unchanged in the control group."

Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vol. 99, no. 10. October 1999


Robert Cohen author of: MILK A-Z

(201-871-5871)
Executive Director (notmilkman@notmilk.com)
Dairy Education Board
http://www.notmilk.com

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[Petronski]

I don't take concerns about bST any more seriously than I take concerns about Alar or flouride. And I'm in good company.

Bovine Growth Hormone

A Cornell University bST Fact Sheet

---

U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
FDA Prime Connection
Cornell University - bST Fact Sheet

written by Professor David Barbano

Are milk and meat from bST-supplemented cows safe?
YES! Extensive studies of the safety of bST have been conducted world-wide and reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA concluded that both milk and meat are safe. A separate review of the data has been conducted by the National Institute of Health, the World Health Organization, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, and reviews by the Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics, and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association all independently have arrived at the same conclusion, milk and meat from bST supplemented cows are safe. In addition, regulatory agencies from countries around the world have reached the same conclusion, milk and meat from bST supplemented cows are safe.

What is bST?
bST is an abbreviation for bovine somatotropin or what is also called bovine growth hormone. The term rbST has been used to refer to bST that is produced using fermentation technology and injected into dairy cows to increase efficiency of milk production.

Is bST a hormone?
Yes. However, there are two types of hormones: steroids and proteins. bST is a protein hormone. Protein hormones have no activity when taken by mouth, while steroid hormones do have activity. For example, insulin is a protein hormone. Insulin has no activity if taken orally. Therefore, a diabetic has to have injections of insulin. Like insulin, the protein hormone bST has no activity when taken by mouth. In contrast, hormones used in birth control pills are steroids and therefore are effective when taken by mouth. Again, bST has no effect when taken by mouth.

Furthermore, studies were conducted in the 1950's to determine if children suffering from dwarfism could be given direct injections of high levels of bST to stimulate growth. The conclusion of the study was that somatotropin from cows is not active in humans even if injected. Why? The structure of human somatotropin is so different from bovine somatotropin, that injections of high levels of bovine somatotropin into children have no influence on growth and development.

[neverdem]

Between all the female hormones(Male Bass in Potomac Producing Eggs) as well as the endocrine disruptors in the envirnment and the premature puberty and obesity, I don't know where it begins.

[aruanan]

That is baloney. All of our children have been breastfed. Our oldest two daughters have matured three years earlier than I. I mark it up to genetics as the females on hubby's side were early bloomers as well. Even grandma-in-law developed early. I would bet her mother did as well, but I have never asked. Our oldest started putting on weight when she was seven though there was no change in our diets. Our second daughter is thin, but she is much taller than her peers. It's all genetics.

This is a matter of statistics. You can't judge this by individual outliers, which, in your own case, is what you're doing. Smokers generally die earlier than non-smokers, but you will find some heavy smokers that have lived long and relatively healthy lives. You'll also find some non-smokers who have died from emphysema and lung cancer. But this doesn't mean, on the one hand, that smoking is healthy or, on the other, that not smoking is dangerous.

[Nov3]

To quote a co-worker "They must be puttin somethin off in that similac"

(It is high fructose sweetner that is causing it.)