Is Chicken the New Cigarette?

A cancer doctor weighs in on the surprising new study that links poultry to higher cancer risk — and what you should worry about instead.

By Michael Hunter, MD

“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.