Safety Factors of Bovine Somatotropin

Dairy farmers often look for ways to increase milk production. The use of bovine somatotropin is one option. It's effective, but questions often arise over its safety for cows and the humans who consume their milk and meat products.

  1. Definition

    • Bovine somatotropin (bST) is a growth hormone that occurs naturally in the cow's pituitary gland. A synthetic version of bST also exists.

    Benefits

    • Injecting cows biweekly with bST increases milk production by 10 percent to 15 percent.

    Safety For Cows

    • Calves born to bST mothers seem to grow normally.

      Regular injections of bST decrease fertility in cows. It doesn't negatively affect calf survival rates, birth weights or growth rates. In bST herds, the incidence of mastitis (inflammation/infection) of the udder is increased, which can happen with other programs that increase milk production, for example selective breeding.

    Safety For Humans

    • Pasterization destroys 90 percent of bST in milk.

      According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, bST is safe for humans. When injected in people, there's no biological response. Taken orally, it's digested. In addition, pasteurization destroys 90 percent of bST in milk. The composition of treated milk (fat, cholesterol, allergens, etc.) is no different from untreated milk.

    Expert Opinions

    • The American Academy of Pediatrics confirms the safety of bST treated milk for children.

      The safety of bST products in humans has been confirmed by many experts including the U.S. Food And Drug Administration, the American Medical Association, the National Institute of Health, the Joint Expert Committee of the World Health Organization and the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.