Virus in Cattle Linked to Breast Cancer: Bovine Leukemia Virus

SummerAngel · September 2015

I just came across this study. I'm not sure if anyone has posted about this before, but I find this to be very odd! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/15091...

"When the data was analyzed statistically, the odds of having breast cancer if BLV were present was 3.1 times greater than if BLV was absent. This odds ratio is higher than any of the frequently publicized risk factors for breast cancer, such as obesity, alcohol consumption and use of post-menopausal hormones."

leggo · September 2015

That was quite something to read. I sat there thinking nah, I don't do "cow". Then came the realization that my babysitter used to FORCE me to drink milk and how it was the choice of "school beverage" whether you liked it or not. Not to mention all those bbq's which were more a social gathering than a meal in my teen years and never gave eating some cow a second thought. Most of these "cause" articles just blow by me....this one kind of sticks. Thanks for posting this. Sort of confirms what I've always had in the back of my mind, at least since I've been able to make my own decisions of what goes in my body.

cp418 · September 2015

Thanks for posting this link. Very interesting research. Leggo - like you I consumed lots of beef and dairy products as a child. All those milk shakes!

dlb823 · September 2015

I just saw this article on FB. WOW is all I can say. You know for years some have argued that the root cause of bc might be a virus, but I don't believe anyone has ever been able to show a strong enough association for researchers to seriously pursue that possibility.

If true, this could also offer an alternate explanation re. why Asians, for example, have far less bc. Maybe it's not the soy in their diets afterall, but the absence of dairy.

Maybe we need to reread Colin Campbell's book, The China Study, in light of this new information.

JohnSmith · September 2015

As the article says: "it's important to note that our results do not prove that the virus causes cancer" AND "This is the most important first step. We still need to confirm that the infection with the virus happened before, not after, breast cancer developed."

Nonetheless, this is interesting and warrants more analysis.

Englishmummy · September 2015

I just finished reading a book called "Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cows Milk and Your Health" - Joseph Keon

It discusses link with BLV and the estrogen link to dairy ......definitely worth a read.

http://www.amazon.com/Whitewash-Disturbing-Truth-About-Health/dp/0865716765/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442357871&sr=8-1&keywords=whitewash

BarredOwl · September 2015

Hi:

Thanks to all for posting and comments. I drank a lot of milk. But note the key point about pasteurization from the discussion:

"How humans become infected with BLV is not known. Transmission from cattle to humans is plausible, as BLV is widespread in both beef herds and dairy herds. Although pasteurization renders the virus non-infectious and presumably thorough cooking of beef also does, many people have drunk raw milk and/or eaten raw or undercooked beef at some point in their life. Breast cancer incidence is markedly higher in countries with high milk consumption. Numerous prospective studies on dairy consumption in various defined populations, however, including one study that carefully evaluated unpasteurized milk consumption, found no significant relationship between cow's milk consumption and breast cancer incidence. . . [text deleted]. . . One potential challenge confronting the elucidation of BLV's route of transmission to humans is the long agricultural association of humans with cattle, which began over 2,000 years ago, while milk pasteurization in western countries was not standard practice until around 1925. This would have allowed ample time for BLV to enter the human population and become established, yet still be reentering the human population under certain circumstances. The current reservoir for transmission to humans could, therefore, be cattle, humans, or both."

As JohnSmith notes, further investigation is needed.

BarredOwl

exbrnxgrl · September 2015

Thanks barredowl and Johnsmith, for pointing out the need for further investigation. A good read but more needs to be known.

CinD · September 2015

This article stunned me. I grew up on a small dairy farm and had daily contact with cows. They were some of my best friends growing up.

I could never eat much beef because I knew so many cows personally. Although never a big milk drinker, we always used unpasteurized milk fresh out of the cow for cooking.

I'll be watching this with interest. It would be fascinating to see a study with women who grew up on dairy farms to see if we have a higher incidence of bc.

dlb823 · September 2015

CinD, my cousin who passed away from Stage IV bc in April of this year not only grew up on a dairy farm but worked as a dairy farm inspector. She often told me milk is bad stuff, but never elaborated, and I just assumed it was all the hormones in it. One of her sisters is a bc survivor. I agree with you, it would be very interesting to know if there is a higher incidence of bc among women who grew up on dairy farms.

Italychick · September 2015

I wonder if there is a way to figure out how much is linked to the virus, and how much to the insulogenic properties of milk. I find this study interesting, but lots of questions unanswered. And how much of the virus being transmitted to humans, if it is a culprit, is due to changes in sanitation practices at dairies. Do they still wash all the cow's nipples before they milk them, or rely on pasteurization to kill everything? I remember milking cows when young, and we had to wash all the udders with some sort of special solution before milking.

It also appears that California has just labeled glyphosate found in weed killers as a cancer causing agent. The good news never ends.

luvmygoats · September 2015

Italychick - I don't know much about milking cows but it is standard practice in dairy goats to wash teats b4 milking and use a product to seal the teat after milking. I've never not seen it done and I've been to big dairy goat shows. I'm thinking the last time I saw a cow milked for demonstration purposes at the Ft. Worth Stock Show they washed the teats also.

You want your milk as clean as possible when tested for market even pooled milk. It's technically called somatic cell count. If you are on test with your herd (goats) high somatic cell count is very detrimental to your score. That 1st bit of milk is usually the most bacteria laden. I will qualify I've never milked for anything serious so I certainly am no expert, just what I know from "being around".

doxie · September 2015

I grew up drinking lots of raw milk from both grandparents' farms. One had a small dairy. But only my grandmother with the dairy and I have had breast cancer. I've two aunts, a mom and two sisters who are still BC free, as well as my deceased maternal grandmother. So that is 25% of the women so far. Maybe the data indicate that we were exposed to BLV and it caused our BC. We were also exposed to fall out from the nuclear bomb testing in Nevada. The radiation made its way into cows milk from the grass cows ate. This may all be tied together. I wonder where the bulk of the women came from.

SummerAngel · September 2015

I never drank raw milk, but I have eaten raw beef, both here in the US and in Europe (carpaccio and steak tartare - I'm a foodie). My family also raised a few cows when I was growing up and I was around them a great deal. It's a very interesting study and I hope they do more investigation on the subject.

leggo · September 2015

This is such a huge piece of the cancer puzzle. The more I read and think about it, the pieces just start to fit. Particularly for the breast cancer epidemic (and I'm thinking prostate as well). Looking back at all the beef and milk that went through my body, I'm kinda horrified. Knowing that it was my food source, in all kinds of incarnations all through childhood, not to mention when a body is going bananas through puberty, I suppose something was bound to go wrong. I wonder who decided humans should consume something intended for baby cows? Common sense dictates that should NEVER have been an option, regardless of its nutritional value. As a beverage, cheese yogurt, ice cream, and yes Cp, like you said "all those milkshakes!" Not to mention all those burgers. I'm pretty sure that I ate a literal ton of beef through grades 6-12. Micky D's was right across the street . HOLY COW!!!

sas-schatzi · September 2015

Summerangel, Thanks for posting the article. Opens up thousands of questions. The link is to the study.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0134304

Exposure to Bovine Leukemia Virus Is Associated with Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study

Gertrude Case Buehring , * E-mail: buehring@berkeley.eduAffiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America ⨯

I give up, they're is a chart in the study telling where the ladies were located. Couldn't make it transfer.

Thought that this statement about funding was odd. " Funding: This study was funded by a grant (#6PB-0075) from the Breast Cancer Research Program of the University of California to GCB and a grant from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (DAMD 17-02-1-0320) to GCB. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Is it odd that the Department of Defense helped fund the study?