§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are any studies which show that weight-enhancing hormones in beef and milk enhancing hormones in cows which might increase weight (leading to obesity) or the over-production of milk cannot be passed to humans. [HL3383]
§ Lord DonoughueWe are not aware of any studies either past or planned for the future which are looking at this aspect. There is no evidence to support a link between meat or milk from animals treated with hormones and overweight.
The European Commission has agreed on research projects which are looking at specific human health aspects connected with hormonal growth promoters as part of a risk assessment. They deal with mutagenicity, genotoxicity, fertility and cancers, particularly prostate and breast cancers. Although some are looking more generally at "potential risks to human health", the Commission has confirmed that these do not include obesity.