Final answer:
Bovine growth hormone (BGH) is used in dairy cows to increase milk production, which has economic benefits for farmers. However, it raises concerns regarding animal welfare, potential human health effects, and ethical issues about manipulating animal biology.
Step-by-step explanation:
Growth hormone (GH), also known as somatotropin, is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland, which plays a significant role in regulating body growth, protein synthesis, and cellular replication. In agricultural practices, a synthetic version of this hormone, bovine growth hormone (BGH), is used to increase milk production in dairy cows. However, its use comes with both advantages and disadvantages.
The pros of using bovine growth hormone in the dairy industry include increased milk production, which can lead to more efficient dairy operations and potentially lower costs for consumers. From an economic perspective, farmers can benefit from increased yield per cow, reducing the need for a larger herd and thereby saving on feed, land, and overhead costs.
On the other hand, the cons include concerns about animal welfare, as cows injected with BGH may experience increased health problems such as mastitis, which can lead to greater use of antibiotics. There are also concerns about the potential impact on human health from consuming milk from BGH-treated cows; although the evidence is still debated, some worry about increased levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in milk and its effects on human health. Additionally, there are ethical considerations regarding interfering with natural biological processes of animals through hormonal treatments.
Differences in the gene product and natural physiological processes must be considered, as the consequences of altering growth hormone levels can be significant, as evidenced by conditions in humans like pituitary dwarfism and gigantism or acromegaly in cases of underproduction and oversecretion respectively. It's crucial to weigh the potential economic benefits against the ethical, animal welfare, and human health considerations when deciding to use bovine growth hormone.