Disease Proof

“To be or not to be? That is the question.” But for the person carving the Thanksgiving turkey this is the question, “Whatcha want? White or dark meat?” Speaking of that, which is healthier white or dark meat? Anahad O’Connor of The New York Times investigates. Take a look:

Many people choose white meat over dark because of its lower caloric content. But according to the Department of Agriculture, an ounce of boneless, skinless turkey breast contains about 46 calories and 1 gram of fat, compared with roughly 50 calories and 2 grams of fat for an ounce of boneless, skinless thigh.


But dark meat has its benefits. Compared with white meat, it contains more iron, zinc, riboflavin, thiamine, and vitamins B6 and B12. Both have less fat than most cuts of red meat, so you can’t go wrong either way.

This doesn’t affect me much because this Thanksgiving I’ll be having fish with plenty of veggies, but the claim that poultry is some heaven sent compared to red meats is incorrect. According to Dr. Fuhrman white meat still doesn’t do your body any favors. From Eat to Live:

Unknown to many is that animal proteins have a significant effect on raising cholesterol levels as well, while plant protein lowers it.1Red met is not the only problem. The consumption of chicken and fish is also linked to colon cancer. A large recent study examined the eating habits of 32,000 adults for six years and then watched the incidence of cancer for these subjects over the next six years. Those who avoided red meat but at white meat regularly had a more than 300 percent increase in colon cancer incidence.2 The same study showed that eating beans, peas, or lentils, at least twice a week was associated with a 50 percent lower risk than never eating these foods.


Chicken has about the same amount of cholesterol as beef, and the production of those potent cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are even more concentrated in grilled chicken than in beef.3 Another recent study from New Zealand that investigated heterocyclic amines in meat, fish, and chicken found the greatest contributor of HCAs to cancer risk was chicken.4 Likewise, studies indicated that chicken is almost as dangerous as red meat for the heart. Regarding cholesterol, there is no advantage to eating lean white instead of lean red meat.5

And Dr. Fuhrman makes it pretty clear, if you’ve got heart problems you should be especially mindful of animal products. More from Eat to Live:

The patient's diet must be nutrient-dense. Animal products and detrimental fats must be avoided to prevent the after-meal fat surge.6 Refined carbohydrates should also be avoided to prevent the after-meal glucose surges and to control triglycerides. Homocysteine levels should be normalized, by supplementation with appropriate nutrients if necessary.

Figured I’d remind you about those nasty refined carbohydrates too. Think of this when you’re tempted to reach for that extra scoop of stuffing—Eek!

1. Descovich, G.C., C. Ceredi, A. Gaddi, et al. 1980. Multicenter study of soybean protein diet for outpatient hyper-cholesterolaemic patients. Lancet 2 (8197): 709-12; Carroll, K. K. 1982. Hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis: effects of dietary protein. Fed. Proc. 41 (11): 2792-96; Sirtori, C. R., G. Noseda, and G.C. Desovich. 1983, Studies on the use of soybean protein diets for management of human hyperlipoproteins, in Gibney, M.J., and D. Kritchevsky, eds. Animal and vegetable proteins in lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. New York: Liss, 135-48; Sirtori, C.R., C. Zucchidentone, M. Sirtori, et al. 1985. Cholesterol-lowering and HDL raising properties of lecithinated soy proteins in type II hyperlipidemic patients. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 29 (6): 348-57; Gaddi, A., A Ciarrocchi, A. Matteucci, et al. 1991. Dietary treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia—differential effects of dietary soy protein according to the apoprotein E Phenotypes. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 53: 1191-96; Carroll, K.K. 1983. Dietary proteins and amino acids—their effects on cholesterol metabolism, in Gibney, M.J., and D. Kritchevshy, eds. Animal and vegetable proteins in lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. New York: Liss, 9-17; Jenkins, D.J., C. W. Kendall, C.C. Mehling, et al. 1999. Combined effect of vegetable protein (soy) and soluble fiber added to a standard cholesterol-lowering diet. Metabolism 48 (6): 809-16; Anderson, J. W., B.M. Johnstone, and M.E. Cook-Newell. 1995. Meta-analysis of the effects of soy protein intake on serum lipids. N. Eng. J. Med. 333 (5): 276-82; Satoh, A., M. Hitomi, and K. Igarashi. 1995. Effects of spinach leaf protein concentrate on the serum cholesterol and amino acids concentrations in rats fed a cholesterol-free diet. J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol. (Tokyo) 41 (5):563-73.

2. Singh, P.N., and G.E. Fraser. 1998. Dietary risk factors for colon cancer in a low-risk population. Am. J. Epidem. 148: 761-74.

3. Sinha, R., N. Rothman, E.D. Brown, et al. 1995. High concentration of the carcinogens 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo-[4,5] pyridine (PhIP) occur in chicken but are dependent on the cooking method. Cancer Res. 55 (20):4516-19.

4. Thomson, B. 1999. Heterocyclic amine levels in cooked meat and the implication for New Zealanders. Eur. J. Cancer Prev. 8 (3):201-06.

5. Davidson, M.H., D. Hunninghake, K.C. Maki, et al. 1999. Comparison of the effects of lean red meat vs. lean white meat on serum lipid levels among free-living person with hypercholesterolemia: a long-term, randomized clinical trial. Arch. Intern. Med. 159 (12): 1331-38.

6. Ishikawa, T. 1999. Postprandial lipemia as an atherosclerotic risk factor and fat tolerance test. Nippon Rinsho 57 (12): 2668-72.