In the United States major dairy conglomerates are using the controversial rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone), also called rBST (recombinant bovine somatotrophin), in all their dairy products with no labeling. In late 1993 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared the milk from rBGH-treated cows to be safe. However, questions about safety have arisen throughout the years of testing. See NOHA News , Winter 1994, "Food and Biotechnology, in which numerous problems are mentioned with synthetic bovine growth hormone, including increased infection in the cows, probably because of their stressed condition, with the result that more antibiotics are used. "As we know from the NOHA lecture, ‘Beyond Antibiotics,’ any further use of antibiotics results in further development of antibiotic resistance in the infectious agents so that the antibiotics become ineffective for us, not just for the animals."

---

. . . questions about [bovine growth hormone] safety have arisen throughout the years of testing.

---

See also, NOHA News, Spring 1994, "Bovine Somatotrophin (BST) and Breast Cancer," in which we published excerpts from a letter from Samuel S. Epstein, MD, to Dr. David Kessler, Commissioner of the FDA. Particular concerns arise because of another hormone, Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), which is increased by the presence of rBGH in the cow’s blood. IGF-1 is identical in cows and humans and is the effective agent for increasing milk production. It is not destroyed by pasteurization and there is evidence that casein (the protein in milk products) protects IGF-1 from being broken down in our digestive tracts.. IGF-1 stimulates cell division and is involved in reducing apotosis (programmed cell death). As we know, cancer consists of uncontrolled cell division.