A new study published in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, finds that germ-free childhoods can very well trigger the onset of childhood leukemia. The most common type of childhood cancer is caused by a two-step process according to the paper. The first step is a genetic mutation before birth that predisposes a child to the risk of developing this form of leukemia. The second step is stated to be an exposure to certain infections later in childhood, after clean early childhoods that limited exposure to infections.
The paper revealed that children who grew up in cleaner households during their first year and interacted less with other children are more likely to develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Institute of Cancer Research Professor Mel Greaves reviewed over 30 years of research, including his own, on the genetics, cell biology, immunology, epidemiology, and animal modelling of childhood leukemia and reached on the conclusion.
Geeaves said he had long wondered “why or how otherwise healthy children develop leukemia and whether this cancer is preventable. This body is a culmination of decades of work, and at last provides a credible explanation for how the major type of childhood leukemia develops.” They added, “The research strongly suggests that (this cancer) has a clear biological cause, and is triggered by a variety of infections in predisposed children whose immune systems have not been properly primed.”
