Experts have responded to the claim circulating on social media that “eating chicken feminizes men.” Pointing out that this claim has no scientific basis, experts emphasized that hormone use in chicken meat is both prohibited and technically impossible.
Recently, a dietitian stated on social media, “Chicken disrupts hormonal balance. It lowers testosterone and increases estrogen in men.” However, according to experts, these claims that “eating chicken feminizes men” have no scientific basis. We asked three different experts in the fields of urology, endocrinology, and food safety. The experts agreed, stating, “There are no hormones in chicken meat; it does not cause feminization in men.”
FOOD ENGINEER: USE OF HORMONES AND ANTIBIOTICS IS PROHIBITED
Food Engineer Ebru Akdağ stated that the rumors about “hormones in chicken” frequently shared on social media are not realistic from a technical, economic, and scientific perspective.
Akdağ said, “According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s publication, hormone use in poultry raised in Turkey has not been detected to date, and not a single case has been reported by the relevant authorities.”
Akdağ noted that legal regulations in many countries around the world prohibit the use of growth hormones in poultry meat production, adding, “There is no hormone or application used either in the world or in our country for the growth of poultry. As is the case worldwide, the use of hormones and antibiotics for growth purposes in poultry is prohibited in Turkey. He added, “Furthermore, due to the globalized structure of the modern poultry industry, commercial companies are required to comply not only with national but also international food safety standards.”
IS THE HORMONE-FED CHICKEN AN URBAN LEGEND?
Explaining that the ban on the use of growth hormones in chickens is not the only obstacle to the practice, Akdağ continued: “It is also an unprofitable and ineffective method. Let’s say that the ban is not strong enough evidence. Even so, the use of hormones in poultry cannot go beyond being a myth because it does not seem rational, both technically and in terms of cost. Studies conducted worldwide on the use of hormones in chickens show that it is not really possible to achieve the expected results from hormones. That is, it is not possible to achieve an effect by mixing growth hormones into feed because they break down and become ineffective when they reach the stomach. Therefore, to see its effect, it must be injected into the animal. And it must be done every day, more than once a day. In production houses with thousands of chickens, it is impossible to catch each chicken and inject it even once a day.
“GROWTH HORMONE IMPLANTS HAVE NO EFFECT ON CHICKENS”
Also mentioning growth hormone implants, Akdağ said, “These are implants containing natural or synthetic growth hormones given to animals. These hormones are generally used in cattle and sheep to increase the animals’ growth rate and meat production efficiency. The implants are placed behind the animal’s ear and take effect by slowly releasing the hormone. The implants are usually effective for several months to several years, depending on the age and sex of the animal. Unlike beef cattle, chickens are marketed before reaching sexual maturity (approximately 6-9 weeks), so growth hormones have no physiological effect on them. Furthermore, in cattle and sheep, steroid hormones (estrogens and androgens) have shown significant growth-promoting effects; however, these effects are not seen in young chicks. Research has actually shown that androgenic steroids inhibit growth in chickens,” he said.
Gıda mühendisi Akdağ, tavukta büyüme hormonu kullanıldığında maliyetin de oldukça yüksek olacağına dikkat çekerek, sözlerine şöyle devam etti: “Fiyatı katlanan tavukları satacak müşteriyi bulmak da, en iyi niyetli ifadeyle kolay olmayacaktır.”
