Title : Antibiotics in food:. Should I be worried
link : Antibiotics in food:. Should I be worried
Antibiotics in food:. Should I be worried
In 2012, sales of these products has increased by 25% over the previous three years ( 1 ).
Overuse of antibiotics in food-producing animals is being blamed for the increase of resistant bacteria , also known as "superbugs".
When these are transmitted to humans that can cause serious illness.
However, other experts suggest that the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals represents a minimal risk to human health.
This article explores how antibiotics are used in food and its possible consequences for their health.
use of antibiotics in food-producing animals
Antibiotics are drugs used to treat bacterial infections. They work by killing or stopping the growth of harmful bacteria.
Since the 1940s, antibiotics have been given to farm animals like cows, pigs and poultry in order to treat infections or prevent a disease from spreading.
also addedLow doses of antibiotics to animal feed to promote growth. This means increased production of meat or milk in shorter periods of time ( 2 ).
These low doses may also reduce mortality rates and improve animal reproduction.
For these reasons, the use of antibiotics is widespread in agriculture. In 2011, 80% of all antibiotics sold in the US they were for use in food-producing animals ( 3 ).
Conclusion: Antibiotics are drugs used to treat bacterial infections. They are widely used in animal husbandry to treat disease and promote growth.
the amount of antibiotics in food is very low
Contrary to what you may think, the chances of actually taking antibiotics through food of animal origin it is extremely low.
strict legislation currently in force in the US to ensure that no contaminated food products are able to enter the food supply.
Similar laws are in place in Canada, Australia and the European Union.
In addition, it requires that veterinarians and pet owners to ensure that no animal products they produce are drug free before they can be used as food.
drug withdrawal periods are applied before the treated animals eggs or milk are used as food. This gives time for the drugs to stop completely the animal's system.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has strict testing process of all meat, poultry, eggs and milk for unwanted compounds, including antibiotic residues ( 4 ).
Conclusion :. Due to strict government legislation, is extremely rare that antibiotics administered to an animal would enter the food supply
There is no evidence that antibiotics in food are hurting people direct
wayNo evidence suggests antibiotics in food are directly hurting people.
Indeed, USDA figures showed that the amount of animal products found to have antibiotic residues were extremely low, and those who did were eliminated.
In 2010, less than 0.8% of foodstuffs of animal origin tested positive for some type of pollution, including antibiotic residues ( 5 ).
confirmed as positive products do not enter the food chain. Producers with repeat violations are exposed publicly. - A system that discourages any misconduct
Conclusion :. There is no evidence to suggest that antibiotics are consumed from food products of animal origin, not to mention harm humans
Overuse of antibiotics in animals can increase resistant bacteria
antibiotics are usually well when used properly to treat or prevent infections.
However, excessive or inappropriate use is a problem. When antibiotics are overused, they end up becoming less effective for humans and animals.
This is because the bacteria that are often exposed to antibiotics develop resistance to them. As a result, antibiotics are no longer effective in killing harmful bacteria. This is a major concern for public health ( 6 ).
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized this concern, updating its regulations to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics in livestock.
Conclusion :. overuse of antibiotics can increase resistant bacteria, so antibiotics less effective in animals and humans
Resistant bacteria can spread to humans, with serious risks health
resistant bacteria can be transmitted from food animals to humans in a number of ways.
If an animal is carrying resistant bacteria that can be transmitted through meat not handled or cooked properly.
these bacteria can also be found through the consumption of food crops that have been sprayed with fertilizers containing animal manure with resistant bacteria.
One study found that people living near fields sprayed with fertilizer pig manure are at increased risk of infection of the resistant bacteria MRSA ( 7 ).
Once extended to humans, resistant bacteria can remain in the human intestine and spread among individuals. The consequences of the consumption of resistant bacteria include ( 8 ):
- infections that otherwise would not have happened.
- The increased severity of infections, often including vomiting and diarrhea.
- difficulty in treating infections and a greater chance that treatments will fail.
In the US, every year about two million people are infected with resistant to one or more of the antibiotics normally used to treat bacterial infections ( 9 ).
Of these, at least 23,000 people die each year. Many more die from other conditions aggravated by infection ( 9 ).
Conclusion :. Resistant bacteria can be transferred from animals to humans through contaminated food, causing infection and even death
resistant bacteria in foodstuffs
resistant bacteria in food supermarkets is much more common than you think.
harmful bacteria commonly reported foods include Salmonella Campylobacter and E. coli .
meat samples from supermarkets in the United States 200 chicken beef , turkey and pork , 20% contained Salmonella . Of these, 84% were resistant to at least one antibiotic ( 10 ).
One report found that resistant in 81% of ground turkey, 69% of the pork chops, 55% ground beef and 39% of the chicken breasts, wings bacteria and thighs that are found in US supermarkets ( 11 ).
Another study evaluated 136 beef, pork and poultry samples from 36 US supermarkets. Almost 25% it tested positive for the resistant bacteria MRSA ( 12 ).
Many products claim to be "raised without antibiotics", including some that are labeled as organic. This does not mean that these products are free of resistant bacteria.
Evidence suggests that these products still contain resistant bacteria, but slightly less resistant than the normal cultured products using antibiotics.
One study found that organic chickens were more often contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter than non-organic chickens. However, bacteria in organic chickens were slightly less resistant to antibiotics ( 13 ).
Again, the prevalence of bacteria Enterococcus was 25% higher in the organic non organic chicken chicken. However, the amount of resistant bacteria was almost 13% less organic chicken ( 14 ).
Another study found that of 213 samples, the frequency of E resistant to antibiotics. coli tended to be only slightly lower for chicken raised without antibiotics, compared with regular chicken ( 15 ).
Conclusion: Resistant bacteria are often found in foodstuffs of animal origin. labeling of "organic" or "raised without antibiotics" foods may have slightly lower amounts of resistant bacteria.
Why you probably do not need to be concerned
There is no clear evidence that directly links the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals to increased disease due to bacteria resistant in humans.
A review concluded that the health risk is very small because the proper cooking destroys harmful bacteria ( 16 ).
Actually, it can be human use of antibiotics that cause most bacterial resistance ( 16 ).
Interestingly, the spread of bacteria such as MRSA from infected pigs to farmers is common ( 17 ).
However, the transmission to the public in general is rare. A Danish study reported that the transmission probability for the population was only 0.003% ( 18 ).
If food is cooked properly and good hygiene practices are applied, then the risk is extremely low.
Conclusion: There is no clear relationship between the use of antibiotics in animals and bacteria resistant infections in humans. The risk to human health is likely to be small, because proper cooking destroys bacteria in food.
How to minimize the risk of disease
It may be impossible to avoid completely resistant bacteria in foods of animal origin.
However, there are things you can do to significantly reduce your risk:
- Practice good food hygiene :. Wash your hands, use a separate cutting boards for different foods and wash utensils thoroughly
- ensure that the food is cooked properly: Cooking meat to the proper temperature should kill harmful bacteria
- Buy antibiotic free foods. you can minimize the risk further by seeking tags saying organic, raised without antibiotics or free antibiotics .
take home Message
the debate on the use of antibiotics in animals still continues.
Although there is no evidence that antibiotics in food harm people directly, most agree that overuse of antibiotics in food-producing animals is a problem.
You can contribute to the development and spread of drug-resistant bacteria, which is a potential public health risk.
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