Countries with the highest consumption of dairy products:
     Finland, Sweden, England & United States

Countries with the highest rate of osteoporosis:
     Finland, Sweden, England & United States

Foods that when eaten produce calcium loss through urinary excretion:     Animal protein, salt, coffee

                    p. 103, The Food Revolution, John Robbins

 Children do not need dairy products to grow up strong and healthy. The director of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Frank Oski, says, "There's no reason to drink cow's milk at any time. It was designed for calves, it was not designed for humans, and we should all stop drinking it today, this afternoon."

Akman, D., et al. "Heart Disease in a Total Population of Children: The Bogalusa Heart Study," Southern Medical Journal , Oct. 1982, 75(10), pp. 1177-81, and G.S. Berenson, et al., "Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Children. Should They Concern the Pediatrician?" American Journal of Diseases of Children , Sep. 1982, 136(9), pp. 855-62.

Dr. Benjamin Spock agrees that although milk is the ideal food for baby cows, it can be dangerous for human infants: "I want to pass the word to parents that cow's milk . . . has definite faults for some babies. It causes allergies, indigestion, and contributes to some cases of childhood diabetes."

Klaper, Michael, M.D., Pregnancy, Children, and the Vegan Diet , 1994 edition, pp. 2-3, 36, and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, news release: "Top Doctors Warn: Milk Can Cause Health Problems," September 29, 1992.

These viruses have been found in supermarket supplies of milk and dairy products. It may not be merely coincidence that the highest rates of leukemia are found in children ages 3-13, who consume the most dairy products.

"Doctor Spock Adds Clout to Warnings About Cow's Milk," Wall Street Journal , September 30, 1992.  

Bovine Leukemia Transferring to Humans

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is a cancer-causing virus of cattle, which can be passed from mother cow to calf via the milk. BLV commonly infects dairy and beef cattle and is found in the marketed milk and meat of these animals. Most infected cattle do not actually develop leukemia, but remain healthy and are not removed from the herd. Consumption of un-pasteurized dairy projects or undercooked beef could possibly allow transmission of infectious virus to humans. We recently discovered that BLV might infect the breast cells of cows and cause these cells to behave more like cancer cells. This indicates that the tissue preference of this "leukemia" virus is not limited to blood cells.

This research has addressed the first aspect of the overall proposal, whether humans can become infected with BLV. Human breast tissues removed during surgery, breast tissue sections received from a pathologist, and cells from milk and blood were searched for evidence of different components of BLV using cellular and molecular techniques (immunocytochemistry, PCR, and in situ hybridization). Human blood was tested for antibodies to BLV. We detected evidence of BLV DNA in blood cells from 9 of 22 human volunteers and in surgically removed breast tissues from 10 of 23 patients. We found evidence of BLV proteins in breast tissues from 8 of 26 patients. Antibodies to BLV were found in the serum of over half of the 100 human volunteers tested. These preliminary results suggest that humans may be infected with BLV. If subsequent studies confirm this and BLV is eventually shown to play a role in the development of breast cancer, prevention would be relatively simple:

• By elimination of BLV in cattle (vaccination, isolation, or extermination);
• By interception of transmission from cattle to humans (education to thoroughly cook beef and not consume raw milk products);
• By vaccination of humans.

Reference:  Gertrude Buehring, Ph.D., Berkeley, University of California, 1996 Innovative Awards, Grant #21B-0001