What you need to know about ractopamine in the meat you consume
What is ractopamine?
If you buy pork at your local supermarket, chances are that it came from a ractopamine-treated pig. By some estimates, 60 to 80 percent of pigs raised in the United States are given the drug.
Ractopamine is a feed additive to promote leanness in animals raised for their meat. Pharmacologically, it is a phenol-based TAAR1 agonist and β adrenoreceptor agonist that stimulates β1 and β2 adrenergic receptors. It is most commonly administered to animals for meat production as ractopamine hydrochloride. It is the active ingredient in products known in the US as Paylean for swine, Optaflexx for cattle, and Tomax for turkeys. It was developed by Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company.
Most countries in the world banned ractopamine use, but not the United States
Only 26 major meat-producing countries allow ractopamine use, while at least 160 have banned it. The growth drug is controversial not only because it's linked to adverse effects in animals but also because of human health concerns.
There are serious questions about ractopamine's safety. It belongs to a class of drugs, beta-agonists, that were developed to treat asthma and only adapted for animal use when they were shown to boost growth rates.
Ractopamine mimics stress hormones, leads to health problems in pigs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of ractopamine in feed for pigs in 1999, later adding in approval for cattle and turkeys. The approval was based largely on studies conducted by the drug's maker, Elanco, which focused not on safety for the animals or humans, but rather on economics, including what dosage to administer to raise bigger animals faster.
According to the Center for Food Safety (CFS), "The drug mimics stress hormones and increases the rate at which the animals convert feed to muscle." In so doing, however, a number of adverse effects have been reported in pigs, including high stress levels, lameness, hyperactivity, broken limbs and death.
Problems with behavior and cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, reproductive and endocrine systems have also been reported.
"Fed to an estimated 60 to 80 percent of pigs in the U.S. meat industry, ractopamine use has resulted in more reports of sickened or dead pigs than any other livestock drug on the market," CFS noted. "According to FDA's own calculations, more pigs have been adversely affected by ractopamine than by any other animal drug — more than 160,000."
A study published in Translational Animal Science reported that the use of ractopamine has been associated with increased risks of nonambulatory and injured pigs, increased cattle mortality on feedlots and abnormal cases of hoof sloughing at beef packing plants.11 In short, hoof problems appear common in cattle taking the drug and related beta agonist drugs such as zilpateral (Zilmax), including the outer shell of the hoof falling off.
Pigs taking the drug are more likely to lose the ability to walk and become more difficult to handle and transport, succumbing more easily to stress as well. Ractopamine-treated pigs may become more aggressive and are more likely to be handled roughly by their handlers.
Health Risks of Ractopamine to Humans
The Codex Alimentarius Commission approved a maximum residue level of ractopamine of 10 parts per billion (ppb) in pork and beef, 40 ppb in liver and 90 ppb in kidneys. Only one human study was reviewed in the setting of this international standard — a study that involved six men, one of whom dropped out of the study due to adverse effects. Further, according to CFS:
"Data from the European Food Safety Authority indicates that ractopamine causes elevated heart rates and heart-pounding sensations in humans. Other examples of health problems include information from the Sichuan Pork Trade Chamber of Commerce in China, which estimates that between 1998 and 2010, 1,700 people were poisoned from eating pork containing ractopamine."
Further, two drugs similar to ractopamine — zilpaterol and clenbuterol — are banned by the Olypmics because they affect adrenalin. In 2010, a cycler in the Tour de France failed an antidoping test for clenbuterol, which he blamed on residues from eating meat.
A study in the journal Talanta further explained, "The use of highly active beta-agonists as growth promoters is not appropriate because of the potential hazard for human and animal health." There's even data showing human intoxication after consuming liver or meat from cattle treated with beta-agonists.
Warning labels on the drug also state the risks outright, the Cornucopia Institute reported, including telling handlers to wear gloves and protective gear when handling it.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ractopamine
https://www.livescience.com/47032-time-for-us-to-ban-ractopamine.html
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/war-over-ractopamine-heating