Question

Q10. Consider the following statements about Oxytocin:

1. The drug is used by diary owners and farmers to boost milk production and make vegetables look bigger and fresher.

2. It causes hormonal imbalances and shortens the lives of milch animals.

Which of the above statements are correct?

• A. a) 1 only
• B. b) 2 only
• C. c) Both 1 and 2
• D. d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer 1

The correct option is C

c) Both 1 and 2

• The Union government banned imports of the hormone oxytocin to stop its misuse in the livestock industry.
• The drug is used by diary owners and farmers to boost milk production and make vegetables look bigger and fresher.
• In mammals, Oxytocin stimulates ejection of milk from the mammary glands. But, its use can cause reproductive damage in animals and even their death.
• It is used to speed up child birth which is wrong and should be shunned
• It causes hormonal imbalances and shortens the lives of milch animals.
• Misuse of Oxytocin is leading to early sterility in milch animals at an unprecedented rate
• Overdose of the drug in humans can lead to haemorrhage, palpitation, low blood pressure and in some cases even death.
• Often called the ‘love hormone’, oxytocin is released naturally in human bonding activities such as sex, childbirth and breastfeeding.