A hormone (from Greek horman - "to set in motion") is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. All multicellular organisms produce hormones (including plants - see article phytohormone).
The best-known animal hormones are those produced by endocrine glands of vertebrate animals, but hormones are produced by nearly every organ system and tissue type in an animal body. Hormone molecules are secreted (released) directly into the bloodstream; some hormones, called ectohormones, aren't secreted into the blood stream, they move by circulation or diffusion to their target cells, which may be nearby cells (paracrine action) in the same tissue or cells of a distant organ of the body. The function of hormones is to serve as a signal to the target cells; the action of hormones is determined by the pattern of secretion and the signal transduction of the receiving tissue.
Hormone actions vary widely, but can include stimulation or inhibition of growth, induction or suppression of apoptosis (programmed cell death), activation or inhibition of the immune system, regulating metabolism and preparation for a new activity (e.g., fighting, fleeing, mating) or phase of life (e.g., puberty, caring for offspring, menopause). In many cases, one hormone may regulate the production and release of other hormones. Many of the responses to hormone signals can be described as serving to regulate metabolic activity of an organ or tissue. Hormones also control the reproductive cycle of virtually all multicellular organisms.
More on [ Hormone ]
Monsanto :: Allegedly Unethical Firms
Bovine Growth Hormones :: Criticisms of Dairy Products

Claims From the Labeling Of Dairy Products - Press release about the false advertising of such labeling.
Meta Description: [ FDA Warns Milk Producers to Remove ]
Bovine Growth Hormone: Harmless For Humans - U.S. Food Drug Administration article on bovine growth hormone and safety for human consumption.
Consumers Union: U.S. and Europe Agree to Disagree on Safety of Dairy Hormone - Report on a decision by the U.N.'s main food safety body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, not to endorse recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH), due to lack of consensus in the scientific community on its safety.
HungerStrike Central - Statements by Richard Cohen, who went on a 205 day hunger strike to protest the introduction of milk from bGH-treated cows into the American food chain. Sharply critical of Monsanto and the FDA's actions.
Meta Description: [ MILK is a deadly poison. Each sip contains growth hormones, fat, cholesterol, allergenic proteins, blood, pus, antibiotic, bacteria and virus ]
International Dairy Foods Association Position on Bovine Somatotropin - IDFA position paper on biotechnology and BST, including Questions and Answers section.
Milk and the Cancer Connection - Comprehensive review of the link between cancer and milk from cows treated with bovine growth hormone at Victoria's 'Net-Active' Community.
Meta Description: [ A comprehensive review of the evidence linking the consumption
of milk from cows treated with bovine growth hormone with an increased risk of breast, prostate and colon
cancer. ]
Oakhurst Sued by Monsanto Over Milk Advertising - Monsanto says the claim by Oakhurst Dairy of Portland that its milk doesn't contain any artificial growth hormones which implies that it is safer or of higher quality is essentially misleading.
Posilac 1 Step Bovine Somatotropin (rbST) - Information about genetically-engineered bovine somatotropin, or bST, a natural protein produced in the pituitary glands of all cattle and it helps adult cows produce milk.
Meta Description: [ POSILAC bovine somatotropin (bST), by Monsanto, safely enhances milk production and helps dairy producers improve the efficiency of their operations. ]
Science News Online: Hormones in Your Milk - Report about the non-rBGH dairies the FDA warned about mislabeling and Monsanto's lawsuit against one of them.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Press Release on the Approval of Sometribove - Formal report on the approval of milk from bST-treated cows for human consumption in the US, including the conclusion that milk from treated cows is indistinguishable from milk from non-treated cows, the added risk of mastitis, and the manufacturer's agreement to conduct follow-up studies on drug residues in milk.
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