The Role of Bovine Leukemia Virus in Breast Cancer

[Bayard]

Up to 20 percent of all cancers in general are linked to infections, particularly viruses, and the list of potentially carcinogenic infectious agents is growing. It would be great if we could find a virus that contributed to breast cancer risk, because then we might have new ways to prevent and treat it. Currently, the dietary link between breast cancer and consumption of meat and dairy is considered a saturated fat effect, but there is a cancer-causing bovine virus that infects the mammary gland cells of cows. The infectious virus is then released into the milk supply. Since most U.S. dairy herds are infected, scientists posit that Americans are often exposed to this bovine leukemia virus (BLV).


https://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-role-of-bovine-leukemia-virus-in-breast-cancer.html

[SidDithers]

1. Sigh...nt

Sid

[ginnyinWI]

2. Aren't viruses destroyed by pasturization? n/t

[lapfog_1]

3. recent studies show no link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_leukemia_virus#Potential_infection_in_humans

"However, this search for BLV in breast tumor cells did not target unintegrated BLV DNA that could be associated with breast cancer."

[Duppers]

4. All the more reason to be vegan.

Wish I could develop a taste for almond milk.

[pnwmom]

5. From a major cancer center: breast-feeding reduces cancer risk.

This information won't help women past their child bearing years, but it's important for pregnant women to know.

https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/october-2014/breastfeeding-breast-cancer-prevention.html

“Research shows mothers who breastfeed lower their risk of pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer. And, breastfeeding longer than the recommended six months can provide additional protection,” says Rachel King, a health education specialist in MD Anderson’s Lyda Hill Cancer Prevention Center.

Most women who breastfeed experience hormonal changes during lactation that delay their menstrual periods. This reduces a woman’s lifetime exposure to hormones like estrogen, which can promote breast cancer cell growth.

In addition, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, you shed breast tissue. “This shedding can help remove cells with potential DNA damage, thus helping to reduce your chances of developing breast cancer,” King says.

Breastfeeding also can help lower your ovarian cancer risk by preventing ovulation. And the less you ovulate, the less exposure to estrogen and abnormal cells that could become cancer.