Hormones in Your Food? Absolutely
Hormones in Your Food? Absolutely
Two topics often spark debate regarding food: antibiotics and hormones. While I’ve previously addressed the concerns about antibiotics in our food supply, I want to clear up some misconceptions about hormones here.
The Misinformation Around Hormones
One common myth is that children are hitting puberty earlier because of "hormones in milk." However, hormones have always been in milk—this isn’t new.
Another misconception is that chickens are "pumped full of hormones," which supposedly explains their larger size compared to past generations. This isn’t true either.
Interestingly, I also frequently receive questions about how to eat to “balance hormones.” But before diving into that, it’s essential to understand what hormones are.
What Are Hormones?
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by your body. They travel through your bloodstream to organs and tissues, guiding growth, metabolism, and reproduction processes.
For instance, insulin signals cells in the liver and muscles to absorb glucose from the blood, while glucagon prompts the liver to release glucose when blood sugar levels are low.
The human body produces more than 50 hormones, each with a specific role. So, when someone asks for help managing or balancing their hormones, I need to know which ones they’re referring to since their daily diet doesn’t directly influence most.
Human Hormones and Food
Humans have receptors specifically for human hormones. For example, people with type 1 diabetes used to rely on insulin derived from pigs before synthetic human insulin became available. Most hormones, like insulin or testosterone, need to be injected to work because if they’re ingested, stomach acids will break them down, rendering them ineffective.
When you consume food or drink milk—cow’s milk, soy milk, or almond milk—the naturally occurring hormones are denatured in the stomach. This means they’re broken down and rendered useless as hormones. Moreover, humans don’t have receptors for hormones from cows, chickens, or plants, so those hormones can’t affect us like human hormones do.
The Reality of Hormones in Food
Let’s talk about milk. Yes, milk contains hormones from a cow, a goat, or even a soybean. For instance, human breast milk is rich in hormones and nutrients essential for a baby’s growth. Similarly, cow’s milk naturally contains hormones because a lactating mammal produces it.
Soy milk also has hormones, which has led to some fear that it might cause an estrogen-like response in the body. This fear is largely unfounded. The rare cases of gynecomastia (male breast enlargement) that are often cited involve extreme consumption, such as drinking three quarts of soy milk daily. In such cases, the problem likely wasn’t the soy milk itself but the sheer volume consumed.
In truth, all foods contain hormones—even plants. However, they do not affect us in the way many people think. Eggs, poultry, pork, and beef—all have naturally occurring hormones.
The Labels and Legalities
Food labels can be misleading. For example, eggs labeled “no added hormones” must also state, “Hormones are not used in producing shell eggs” because adding hormones to egg-laying hens is illegal. Similarly, chicken and turkey products labeled “no added hormones” must include the disclaimer, “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry.”
Beef cattle are an exception, as they may receive steroid hormones to promote growth. These hormones are typically administered in small amounts through an implant under the skin. Even so, the difference in hormone levels between treated and untreated cattle is minimal.
The Bottom Line
You might be concerned about consuming hormones in your food, but the truth is that avoiding them entirely is nearly impossible. Every food, whether plant or animal-based, contains naturally occurring hormones. However, the hormones in our food don’t impact our bodies the way human hormones do. If you want to avoid foods with added hormones, you’re likely already doing so—most foods are free from added hormones by law.
In the end, focusing on a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods is a more practical approach to health than worrying about the natural hormones in your food.
Real World Nutrition Refreshed: I am revitalizing and updating my archive of blogs and re-publishing them. Stay tuned as I review, update, refresh, and re-share these posts to provide you with even more valuable information on nutrition, health, and overall wellness—and keep things timely. A portion of this blog was initially posted on May 19, 2022, and is updated here.
