Hormones levels in food, hormones are essential but get the facts

Estrogen comparisons

It is important to recognize that many common foods naturally contain estrogen (or phytoestrogen in plants) at levels hundreds or thousands of times higher than the levels in dairy or beef products that come from animals given estrogen hormones.

In addition, estrogen levels in dairy and beef products from hormone-treated animals are essentially the same as products from untreated animals.

The following are some such comparisons:

* 4 ounces of beef from steer given hormones: 1.6 ng of estrogen

* 4 ounces of beef from untreated steer: 1.2 ng of estrogen

* 4 ounces of beef from non-pregnant heifer: 1.5 ng of estrogen

* 4 ounces of raw cabbage: 2,700 ng of estrogen

* 4 ounces of raw peas: 454 ng of estrogen

* 3 ounces of soybean oil: 168,000 ng of estrogen

* 3.5 ounces of soy protein concentrate: 102,000 ng of estrogen

* 3 ounces of milk from cow given recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST): 11 ng of estrogen

* 3 ounces of milk from non-rbST-treated cow: 11 ng of estrogen