What are the side effects of ractopamine?
Ractopamine is associated with major health problems in food-producing animals, such as “downer” syndrome and severe cardiovascular stress, and has also been linked to heart problems and even poisoning in humans.
Is ractopamine a beta agonist?
Zilpaterol hydrochloride and ractopamine are β-adrenergic agonists that are feed to beef cattle (and pigs) at specific dosing regimens to improve weight gain, feed efficiency, and reduce carcass fat (Centner et al., 2014).
Does all US pork have ractopamine?
In order to maintain access to international markets that ban even trace amounts of ractopamine in pork, several US packers have recently decided to process only pigs that are free of ractopamine. China and EU require that pork meat be ractopamine-free.
What is a B agonist approved in hogs?
There are two beta-agonists compounds approved by the FDA for use in food animal species in the United States —ractopamine hydrochloride and zilpaterol hydrochloride. Ractopamine is approved for use in swine, turkeys and cattle, while zilpaterol is only approved for use in cattle [1, 3].
Is ractopamine safe for humans?
They concluded that based on the assessment of available toxicological and residue data, the residues found in edible tissues of cattle, swine and turkeys resulting from the use of the ractopamine products (according to the label directions) are considered to be safe and would not pose any adverse health effects in …
How long does ractopamine stay in your system?
Studies carried out in cattle and sheep report on detectable ractopamine residues in urine 5 to 7 days after the last exposure to dietary ractopamine, pointing that hydrolysis of ractopamine metabolites may extend the period in which it is detected in cattle (Smith & Shelver, 2002). …
What are beta agonists?
Beta adrenergic agonists or beta agonists are medications that relax muscles of the airways, causing widening of the airways and resulting in easier breathing. They are a class of sympathomimetic agents, each acting upon the beta adrenoceptors.
What does beta-agonist do to cattle?
Beta-agonists are a class of non-hormonal compounds fed to cattle. Their mode of action is to bind to receptors on fat cells in the animals’ body and redirect and reduce the metabolism of fat. Consequently, less fat is produced and less fat is stored in the carcass.
Can I buy pork without ractopamine?
Ractopamine-free swine production is now a market specification/requirement throughout much of the U.S. pork packing industry. Ractopamine (sold under the trade names Paylean® or Engain® for swine, and Optaflexx® or Actogain® for cattle) is an approved product used to increase lean growth rate.
Are there any other drugs similar to ractopamine?
Clenbuterol, a cousin drug to ractopamine causes such adrenalin effects in humans it was banned in Olympics sports. Cyclist Alberto Contador failed a Tour de France anti-doping test in 2010 for levels of clenbuterol which he said he got from eating meat.
What are the effects of ractopamine on animals?
The drug mimics the effects of adrenaline, and is used to increase muscle tissue and make animals grow faster. It’s manufactured by Elanco Animal Health, until recently a division of drug giant Eli Lilly & Co.
How is ractopamine used in the treatment of asthma?
Ractopamine is a beta agonist. In humans, its used for asthma patients to relax and widen muscles of the airways to facilitate better breathing. The potential to use ractopamine to build muscle in livestock was discovered during testing, when researchers found the drug made mice more muscular.
When was ractopamine approved for use in pigs?
Approvals of ractopamine in meat production flew almost completely under the public radar: It was approved for use in U.S. pigs in 1999 (Paylean), for cattle in 2000 (Optaflexx) and for turkeys in 2009 (Topmax). In 2010, the FDA expanded the feeding approvals for Optaflexx in cattle.