Chinese using steroids in beef

[sjc]

Saw this interesting article in the Globe and Mail about Chinese Beef and Pork producers using the steroid Clenbuterol to increase lean meat production. This steroid is used by asthmatics and is easily obtained in wholesale quantities. The article is at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/lean-meat-toxin-persists-in-chinese-pork-beef-despite-bans/article1880714/

[ag-boy]

Canada is not any better we are still inplanting cattle with growth hormone.
We are the only Country in the world .
this the reason can not export beef in to euro country.
time we take all or hormone implanting off the market !

[kato]

I googled clenbuterol side effects, and a bazillion body building websites popped up. Anabolic steroid. It specifically has caused illness in people who have eaten meat from treated animals. This drug is a long way from the type of implants used in cattle.

Here's what I found on one website.

Clenbuterol is a drug that was originally approved for the treatment of asthma and other lung ailments. It was soon taken up as a possible body building drug and weight loss treatment until in the late 80’s and early 90’s it was found that the drug impaired heart and lung disease. People who had eaten the meat of animals that had received this drug started to appear with impairing diseases, which prompted the FDA to ban the drug in 1991. In 1998 the drug was once again approved for use but only in horses that had lung problems it was still illegal in the US for any other use due to the Clenbuterol side effects.

Despite that fact people still use Clenbuterol today for body building and weight loss, with the drug getting the nickname of the size zero diet pills. Used by many of the celebrity crowd in Hollywood and serious body building the Clenbuterol side effects are as much of a concern today as they were when it was first banned.

Clenbuterol is an anabolic drug that allows your body to make use of oxygen in the bloodstream more efficiently. This has the effect of increasing muscle mass and burning body fat, which is why it is so popular among body builders and stars who find it so important to keep their fat percentages so low.

Clenbuterol side effects range from mild to dangerous, and while the benefits that are sought after from using this pill are real, this pill can cost a life and should not be used under any circumstances. Mild side effects include feeling overheated, nauseous, shaky and anxious. A person who uses it regularly may suffer from insomnia a lack of concentration and increased blood pressure.

If these were there only side effects of Clenbuterol then you could make a case for it being a highly effective diet pill but sadly the side effects do not stop there. Severe side effects include permanent impairment of the liver, heart, and lungs, as well as a greatly increased chance of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

If you want to lose weight or build muscle you are better off doing it the old fashioned way with sweat and hard work. Eating healthy and exercise will get you where you want to be much safer than will a drug that has been banned by the FDA. Clenbuterol side effects can leave you permanently disabled or end your life, a few pounds is not worth taking such a risk.

[grassfarmer]

There was a big scandal in Ireland in the 80s or 90s on the same issue. They had a high security fenced compound where they were fattening cattle with clenbuterol, they said the feed conversion ratios they got with it were amazing! I've heard of it in Spain in the past also so Europe isn't exactly clean on this one.
I agree with ag-boy though that we should be looking at the hormone implant issue - it's a different product and the risks may not just be as obvious but there are risks and we should quit turning a blind eye to them.