Added hormones have always been a contentious point of animal agriculture, and health magazines or publications have demonized the use of hormones in our food. There is a difference between how our bodies are impacted by plant and animal proteins, but which one is worse for you?
The truth is, neither are bad, they are simply different. In an article posted on Best Food Facts, three experts discuss hormones in our food. Dr. Troy Ott, professor of reproductive physiology at Pennsylvania State University(PSU), Dr. Tara Felix, a beef extension specialist at PSU as well, and Dr. Tim McAllister, principal research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada broke down the differences between plant and animal hormones.
What are hormones and how do they work?
“Hormones give instructions to cells and tissues on how to adjust what they are doing to help grow, reproduce and thrive.Specific hormones have specific jobs. For example, when a female has a baby the hormone prolactin is produced that circulates through her blood to the mammary gland and instructs the cells to produce milk. That hormone does not cause other cells in the body to produce milk, just the mammary gland.” Dr. Ott and Dr. Felix explained to Best Food Facts.
They added that specific hormones only work with certain tissues.
“Hormones deliver instructions to specific tissues by binding to receptors which acts like a lock (receptor) and key (hormone) mechanism. Just like your key will not open someone else’s lock, most hormones will only work in the animal that produced them and in the specific tissues that have the receptor. For example, the growth hormone protein produced by cattle (a key) will not fit in the growth hormone receptor (the lock) in humans- so it would have no effect.”
Dr. McAllister described the difference between plant and animal hormones.While they are structurally different they have a lot in common, and may have similar biological effects.
“The biggest difference between the two types of hormones is that they simply have different chemical structures. Plant-based hormones are called phytoestrogens and there is a large variety of different types of phytoestrogens in plants. With animal hormones, there is significantly less variety and number of types. Yes, they are structurally different, but they can have some components of their structure in common – this is why even though some hormones have different names they can still have similar biological effects.”
The most concerning part of hormones in our food is how added hormones affect our bodies, but maybe this fear is not substantiated.
Dr.Ott and Dr.Felix agree that there isn’t anything to fear, for they are serving their intended purposes and nothing more, and your liver exists to handle substances from the foods you eat.
“Thankfully, our digestive system is designed to encounter many chemicals in the environment and our liver intercepts and degrades or expels natural, synthetic or added hormones from animal (or plant) products. Everything in the natural world is made from chemicals and some natural chemicals can be more toxic than synthetic chemicals. Botulinum toxin is natural and one of the most toxic substances known, however, medical doctors use small amounts to treat migraines and remove wrinkles in your face.”
Dr. McAllister adds, “Generally, animal-based hormones have a greater impact on our bodily function compared to plant-based hormones because we have evolved to produce these hormones that have regulatory effects in our system. Whereas plant-based hormones have evolved to have regulatory effects in the systems of plants. There can be cross-reactivity, where plant-based hormones can have effects on animal systems and vice versa.”
Dr. McAllister stresses that hormones from all animal protein types, regardless of whether they are added or not, do not interact with the internal receptors in human bodies.
“When beef farmers choose to implant their cattle with hormones, the goal is to effectively use this hormone and have no trace of it left in the system before the animal goes to slaughter. Implants are designed to slowly release hormones into the animals’ system to increase the efficiency of their growth from the time of implant to when the hormone is completely used up. In most cases, the hormones in the implant are completely used up by the time the animal is ready to go to slaughter.”
Best Food Facts state that “Hormones are life-regulating chemicals found in all plants and animals. Each hormone has a very specific function that only works for its intended purpose. Natural and added hormones perform similarly. Protein hormones in food are easily digested and inactivated by humans. Steroid hormones can cross the gut into your body but are in such low concentrations that they do not affect you. Some of the highest concentrations of steroid hormones are in plants such as soy and cabbage and are many thousand times greater than the hormone concentrations in animal products.”
So, understanding the difference between plant and animal hormones and how they affect our bodies is important. Not only for consumers to trust their food better, but to understand why farmers and ranchers do what they need to produce better products.
