Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Think eating meat will kill you? Not so fast. A massive Canadian study says animal protein may reduce your cancer risk — flipping decades of diet advice on its head.
Turns out, switching from steak to soy might not save you from cancer. Researchers found plant proteins had no protective effect at all — despite years of vegan gospel.
It’s not what you eat, but how you cook it. High-heat grilling breaks down proteins into carcinogens — while stews, curries, and Japanese-style preparations may offer safer, tastier alternatives.
Your weekend burger could be riskier than your weeknight curry. Experts say frying, smoking, and charring meats form nitrosamines — the real cancer culprits — not the protein itself.
A 16,000-person study now says the risk from animal protein is… zero. And for cancer? A slight protection. The catch? You need to eat it regularly — not just binge occasionally.
What’s safer — a grilled tikka or a slow-cooked dal gosht? The latter, hands down. Stewing at low temperatures minimizes chemical breakdowns that could trigger cancer.
Doctors still caution: red meat might up your heart disease risk, even if it’s not spiking cancer. So lean cuts, poultry, and fish remain the safer meaty middle ground.
India’s carb-heavy diet means most people aren’t even hitting the minimum protein mark. Experts recommend swapping some rotis and rice for legumes, fish, or eggs — whatever your dietary tribe.
The real takeaway? There’s no need for panic-switches to plant-only diets. Balance, preparation, and proportion matter more than the label on your protein.