Cholesterol, carcinogens, pathogens, and even feces found in chicken products increase the risk of heart disease, breast and prostate cancers, urinary tract infections, and foodborne illness.
Carcinogens occur naturally in chicken. In a Physicians Committee study compiled from independent laboratory tests, 100% of 100 grilled chicken samples from top restaurant chains in California contained PhIP, a federally recognized carcinogen that has been linked to breast, prostate, and other cancers. PhIP forms naturally from substances found in tissue when the tissue is exposed to direct high heat.
Chicken also raises cholesterol levels as much as red meat. Researchers tested the effects of low-saturated-fat diets that drew their protein from red meat (beef and pork), white meat (chicken and turkey), or nonmeat sources (legumes, nuts, grains, and soy products). It turned out that both white and red meat raised LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, compared with plant-based proteins, and did so to about the same extent.
In addition to dietary cholesterol, typical chicken servings are about 50% fat, and 30% of that is saturated or “unhealthy” fat, which stimulates the body’s production of cholesterol.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year about 1 million people get sick from eating poultry products contaminated with harmful germs. A 2017 study found that poultry accounted for the highest number of foodborne outbreaks, illnesses, and hospitalizations, and the second highest number of deaths.
CDC research shows that foodborne illnesses from bacteria found in chicken are on the rise. In 2018, Campylobacter infections increased 12%, compared to 2015-2017, and Salmonella infections increased 9%.
Since 2013, Campylobacter—which causes diarrhea, sometimes bloody, and hospitalizations for 18% of people—has caused the most foodborne infections.
Salmonella is the second most common cause of foodborne illness, which can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. In December 2018, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service reported that 22% of establishments that produce chicken parts failed to meet the salmonella performance standard.
A 2018 study found that a strain of E. coli—E. coli ST131—found in retail chicken products can be passed to people, leading UTIs. E. coli ST131 is particularly adept at traveling from the bladder to the blood and kills thousands of people in the United States each year, according to the study.
An earlier study published by the CDC examined urine samples from women who had UTIs and matched E. coli in the samples to E. coli from contaminated foods. They found that most of the E. coli was ingested through retail meat products (61% of which were chicken products) and ready-to-eat products (73% of which were meat products). The authors concluded that chicken was the main source of urinary tract infection-causing E. coli. The researchers also warned that animal product sources of E. coli might be drug-resistant which can require more costly and complicated treatments.
The Physicians Committee sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2019 for ignoring concerns over widespread fecal contamination of chicken products. The lawsuit followed USDA unresponsiveness to a Physicians Committee petition that included results from tests conducted on 120 chicken products sold by 15 grocery store chains in 10 U.S. cities. Evidence of fecal contamination was found in 48% of samples.
Although USDA implements a “zero tolerance” policy for fecal contamination, this policy only applies to visible fecal contamination. Chicken products pass inspection as long as feces are not visible to the naked eye.
The lawsuit and petition quote a federal inspector who said, “We often see birds going down the line with intestines still attached, which are full of fecal contamination. If there is no fecal contamination on the bird’s skin, however, we can do nothing to stop that bird from going down that line. It is more than reasonable to assume that once the bird gets into the chill tank (a large vat of cold water), that contamination will enter the water and contaminate all of the other carcasses in the chiller. That’s why it is sometimes called ‘fecal soup.’”
When cooked, chicken can be a nutritious choice, but raw chicken can be contaminated with Campylobacter, Salmonella, or Clostridium perfringens germs. If you eat undercooked chicken, you can get a foodborne illness, also called food poisoning.
Roxarsone, the most common arsenic-based additive used in chicken feed, is used to promote growth, kill parasites and improve pigmentation of chicken meat. In its original form, roxarsone is relatively benign. But under certain anaerobic conditions, within live chickens and on farm land, the compound is converted into more toxic forms of inorganic arsenic. Arsenic has been linked to bladder, lung, skin, kidney and colon cancer, while low-level exposures can lead to partial paralysis and diabetes, the article notes.
The National Chicken Council, a trade association that represents the U.S. chicken industry, claims there is “no reason to believe there are any human health hazards” associated with the use of roxarsone.
Pets may not be the only organisms endangered by some food additives. An arsenic-based additive used in chicken feed may pose health risks to humans who eat meat from chickens that are raised on the feed, according to an article in the April 9 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society.
Complicating the issue is the fact that no one knows the exact amount of arsenic found in chicken meat or ingested by consumers who frequently eat chicken. “Neither the Food and Drug Administration nor the Department of Agriculture has actually measured the level of arsenic in the poultry meat that most people consume,” according to the article.
Use of roxarsone has become a topic of increasing controversy. A growing number of food suppliers have stopped using the compound, including the nations largest poultry producer, Tyson Foods, according to the article. Still, about 70 percent of the 9 billion broiler chickens produced annually in the U.S. are fed a diet containing roxarsone, the article points out.
A 2018 study found that a strain of E. coli—E. coli ST131—found in retail chicken products can be passed to people, leading UTIs. E. coli ST131 is particularly adept at traveling from the bladder to the blood and kills thousands of people in the United States each year, according to the study.
The lawsuit and petition quote a federal inspector who said, “We often see birds going down the line with intestines still attached, which are full of fecal contamination. If there is no fecal contamination on the bird’s skin, however, we can do nothing to stop that bird from going down that line. It is more than reasonable to assume that once the bird gets into the chill tank (a large vat of cold water), that contamination will enter the water and contaminate all of the other carcasses in the chiller. That’s why it is sometimes called ‘fecal soup.’”
The Physicians Committee sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2019 for ignoring concerns over widespread fecal contamination of chicken products. The lawsuit followed USDA unresponsiveness to a Physicians Committee petition that included results from tests conducted on 120 chicken products sold by 15 grocery store chains in 10 U.S. cities. Evidence of fecal contamination was found in 48% of samples.
An earlier study published by the CDC examined urine samples from women who had UTIs and matched E. coli in the samples to E. coli from contaminated foods. They found that most of the E. coli was ingested through retail meat products (61% of which were chicken products) and ready-to-eat products (73% of which were meat products). The authors concluded that chicken was the main source of urinary tract infection-causing E. coli. The researchers also warned that animal product sources of E. coli might be drug-resistant which can require more costly and complicated treatments.
In addition to dietary cholesterol, typical chicken servings are about 50% fat, and 30% of that is saturated or “unhealthy” fat, which stimulates the body’s production of cholesterol.
What The Science Says About Eating Chicken!
FAQ
Is chicken feed harmful to humans?
Is it OK for humans to eat chicken?
Is arsenic added to chicken feed?
Is food poisoning from chicken serious?
Is chicken bad for You?
In addition to dietary cholesterol, typical chicken servings are about 50% fat, and 30% of that is saturated or “unhealthy” fat, which stimulates the body’s production of cholesterol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year about 1 million people get sick from eating poultry products contaminated with harmful germs.
Does eating chicken cause inflammation?
Consuming chicken combined with a balanced and healthy diet does not cause inflammation. The development of inflammation related to chicken consumption can be caused by the consumption of fried chicken, chicken with artificial seasonings, ultra-processed chicken preparations and chickens treated with antibiotics and/or hormones to accelerate growth. Therefore, it is important to prefer to consume chicken seasoned with natural seasonings, cooked, roasted, grilled and preferably organic.
Can you get food poisoning from chicken?
You can take steps to prevent getting food poisoning from chicken. Use a food thermometer to make sure chicken is cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Keep raw chicken and its juices away from ready-to-eat foods, like salads or food that is already cooked. Raw chicken is ready to cook and doesn’t need to be washed first.
Is contaminated chicken a hazard?
Most alarming to Craten: Those illnesses don’t stem from the unlawful distribution of contaminated chicken. Instead, under rules set by the Department of Agriculture, poultry processors can legally distribute their products even if they know they may contain harmful bacteria.