The FDA concluded that both milk and meat are safe. A separate review of the data has been conducted by the National Institute of Health, the World Health Organization, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, and reviews by the Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics, and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association all independently have arrived at the same conclusion, milk and meat from bST supplemented cows are safe. In addition, regulatory agencies from countries around the world have reached the same conclusion, milk and meat from bST supplemented cows are safe. In addition, regulatory agencies from countries around the world have reached the same conclusion. The term rbST has been used to refer to bST that is produced using fermentation technology and injected into dairy cows to increase efficiency of milk production.
Protein hormones have no activity when taken by mouth, while steroid hormones do have activity.
For example, insulin is a protein hormone. Insulin has no activity if taken orally. Therefore, a diabetic has to have injections of insulin. Like insulin, the protein hormone bST has no activity when taken by mouth. In contrast, hormones used in birth control pills are steroids and therefore are effective when taken by mouth.