What are the health effects of ractopamine? Su Yifeng is here to answer...

Recently, President Tsai Ing-wen held a press conference at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of the 28th, proposing that, on the premise of protecting the health of the people, based on scientific evidence and international standards, a safe allowable value for ractopamine (lean meat powder) in imported pork will be set, and the import of American beef over 30 months old will be relaxed, and the standards for the ractopamine content of American cattle and pigs will be opened.

The issue of the health effects of clenbuterol has come to the fore again. Many people are curious about what clenbuterol is and what effects it has on health.

Understanding the health effects of ractopamine

Introduction: Recently, President Tsai Ing-wen held a press conference at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of the 28th. On the premise of protecting the health of the people, based on scientific evidence and international standards, she set a safe allowable value for ractopamine (lean meat powder) in imported pork, relaxed the import of American beef over 30 months old, and opened up the standards for the ractopamine content of American cattle and American pigs.

The issue of the health effects of clenbuterol has come to the fore again. Many people are curious about what clenbuterol is and what effects it has on health.

Understanding Clenbuterol:

"Clenbuterol", as the name suggests, can increase the muscle proportion of pigs and cattle after use. The most commonly used drug is a sympathetic nerve stimulant! In the past, there were several drugs that were considered to be clenbuterol, the most commonly used of which was ractopamine (trade name: Pellin).

The drug ractopamine is not currently used on humans. It is mainly used on livestock, such as cattle and sheep, because ractopamine can activate β1 and β2 sympathetic nerve receptors.

β-sympathetic nerve receptors are also present in large numbers in organs of the body. The heart has many β1 sympathetic nerve receptors. Many studies in the past have found that pigs taking ractopamine suffer from side effects such as palpitations and high blood pressure! When pigs are given ractopamine, their behavior is also affected. After pigs eat clenbuterol, the drug mainly accumulates in the liver, internal organs, muscles, etc.

Impact and harm to human body:

The United States and other meat-producing countries believe that ractopamine has advantages such as the human toxic dose is far higher than the meat residue and the metabolism is fast, so its use is allowed and it is considered harmless to the human body.

However, humans may still have side effects if they take an overdose. It may cause side effects such as palpitations and cardiovascular diseases, and may immediately experience poisoning symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, trembling hands, palpitations, and increased blood pressure. In addition, clenbuterol is also a banned drug (stimulant) in sports. If athletes accidentally eat meat containing clenbuterol, it may cause a positive reaction in urine tests.

Dr. Su’s advice:

Just eat Taiwanese pork and Taiwanese beef!

It doesn't mean that it will appear in the body after eating it. The current content of it in American beef and pork is actually very low and will not have much impact on the body.

Elderly people, pregnant women, and children with cardiovascular disease should pay attention to whether cardiovascular side effects occur when consuming American beef and pork products.

PS: Everyone may also be curious why it is a pulmonologist who talks about clenbuterol? Because many sympathetic nerve stimulants are used clinically to treat respiratory diseases, and thoracic physicians have rich experience in using this type of drugs!