RECOMBINANT BOVINE

GROWTH HORMONE
(rBGH)
PHARMACOKINETICS OF rBGH
• rBGH increases the overall efficiency of the milk production process,
with the possibility of increasing milk production by 10-15 percent per
cow.

• However, increased milk production may be accompanied by higher

incidence rates of mastitis, an inflammatory condition involving the
mammary gland and udder tissue that is the most costly disease
affecting the dairy industry.
PHARMACOKINETICS OF rBGH
• rBGH has no discernible effect on humans when consumed through
either milk or meat products.
• Most, if not all, of the rBGH is destroyed during pasteurization and
cooking processes.
PHARMACOKINETICS OF rBGH
• The overall composition of the milk including the fat, protein, and
lactose content is not altered substantially by the use of rBST in dairy
cows.

• BST is destroyed in the digestive system and even if directly injected,

has not been found to have any direct effect on humans
TOXICOKINETICS OF rBGH
• Studies have shown that rBGH raises the concentration of insulin-like
growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in treated cow milk.
• During development of the mammary system, IGF-1 increases cell
proliferation and the formation of mammary ducts.
• IGF-1 has been shown to stimulate growth of human breast cancer
cells.
• Furthermore, research has revealed an increased risk for pre-
menopausal breast cancer in women with higher levels of IGF-1 in
their blood.
TOXICOKINETICS OF rBGH
• When cow's milk treated with rBGH is consumed by human non-
infants, it behaves as a cancer-accelerator.

• IGF-1 is not completely destroyed in the pasteurization process nor

during human digestion and can therefore biologically active in
humans, being associated with prostate and colon cancers also.
TOXICOKINETICS OF rBGH
• IGF-1 promotes cell division. As cells divide, at some point they are
instructed (by their genes, in combination with hormone signals) to
stop dividing or they are instructed to die so that the creation of new
cells is matched by the death of cells and no net growth occurs; this is
called “programmed cell death”.

• If “programmed cell death” is prevented, then cells don't die at the

right time, causing out-of-control growth of cells, which is another
way of saying cancer. Cancer is uncontrolled cell division.
TOXICOKINETICS OF rBGH
• According to a meta-analysis published in 2003, injecting cows with rBGH
increases the risk of three important health conditions:
Increased risk of lameness by 55%
Increased risk of failing to conceive by 40%
Increased risk of clinical mastitis (udder infections) by 25%

• An increased risk of mastitis is particularly concerning for cows and the

rest of the world because these infections are treated with antibiotics,
and the high use of antibiotics in livestock can create antibiotic-resistant
bacteria.