Is chicken the new cigarette?
For years, chicken has worn the health halo — lean, white meat, high in protein, and recommended by nearly every dietary guideline. But new research is challenging what we thought we knew.
Could our go-to “healthy” meat be contributing to chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, or even cancer risk?
As a physician, I’ve seen how nutrition science often lags behind public perception, and how hard it is to revise deeply held food beliefs.
In this essay, I explore the hidden risks behind one of the most popular proteins in the Western diet, what the data says about processed poultry, and whether it’s time to rethink what we’re serving at dinner.
This isn’t fearmongering. It’s evidence. And it might change the way you look at your next chicken sandwich.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Tell me what to eat, doc.”
I hear it all the time — from patients, friends, even the person next to me on a plane.
They lean in, expecting a list.
Expecting me to whisper some hidden anti-cancer diet they haven’t yet found on TikTok or in the grocery aisle.
And lately, many of them ask this:
Do I need to stop eating chicken?”
I get it.
A recent study from southern Italy just reported this (for people eating more than 300 grams weekly):
Poultry — yes, the supposed “healthy meat” — is associated with a nearly 1.3-times higher death risk and increased gastrointestinal cancer.
Even I raised an eyebrow.
Because I eat chicken regularly.
I’m a cancer doctor and an over-60 competitive bodybuilder. And let me tell you — chicken and broccoli seem to be on every bodybuilder’s plate.
So, should I stop? Should you?
Let’s talk about what this study says — and what it doesn’t.
Is Chicken the New Cigarette? First, Let’s Not Chicken Out on the Facts
This wasn’t a clinical trial.
It was observational.
Researchers watched what people ate and how they fared over time.
That helps spot trends, but it doesn’t prove cause and effect.
You can’t take one study and declare chicken the new asbestos.
For decades, we’ve known that health outcomes aren’t shaped by one food or a week.
Patterns, lifestyle, genes, stress, and sleep shape them.
You’re not going to outrun a family history of colon cancer by skipping a turkey sandwich.
Nor will you sabotage your health with a Sunday grilled drumstick.
It’s Not Just What You Eat — It’s How You Burn It
Here’s the part most headlines skip:
When you grill, fry, or char meat at high heat, you form HCAs and PAHs—compounds linked to cancer.
They’re not just in red meat. They show up in your blackened chicken, too.
A chicken breast baked in olive oil and herbs? Probably fine.
A deep-fried chicken sandwich combo with a soda?
Different story.
Please use this FREE LINK to my Medium.com essay:
You’ll get your answer to the question, Is chicken the new cigarette?
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