Researchers tested the breast tissue of 240 U.S. women for traces of bovine leukemia virus, often found in cattle herds through the United States. The findings indicate a potential link between the BLS virus and the risk of breast cancer in women, according to Philly Voice.
Here are five things to know:
1. Fifty-nine percent of the samples derived from women with breast cancer had signs of BLV.
2. Twenty-nine percent of the samples derived from women without breast cancer contained signs of the virus.
3. Researchers are not sure how the virus is transmitted to humans, but hypothesize dairy products and beef may lead to infection. Researchers need to discover if the virus is transmitted to humans from cattle or other humans.
4. Michael Greger, MD, director of public health and agriculture at the Humane Society of the Untied States, proposes breast cancer tissue may in fact attract the virus.
5. The results are still preliminary in that a casual link has not been determined between
BLV and breast cancer. The study indicates more research is needed.
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