Can eating chicken tails cause cancer or other diseases?

Question: Does eating chicken tail give you cancer or other diseases?

The straight answer: no – but be aware that this titbit is high in fat so should be eaten in moderation.

The facts: Tail, butt, haunch, the parson’s nose – whatever the name given to a chicken’s rear end, it’s a popular snack skewered and grilled in many parts of Asia. Fans like it because it’s juicy and has a relatively strong flavour for an often bland bird. However, it’s also a part that gets a bad rap as a supposed carcinogen or for apparently containing viruses, bacteria or hormones that can have a negative effect on human health.

Fion Chow, a registered dietitian with the Hong Kong Cancer Fund says: “There is no research showing a link with cancer.” The idea that chicken tail is bad because it is part of the animal’s waste elimination system is almost a form of sympathetic magic – just like thinking that eating brains will make you brainier. The part contains no carcinogens or toxins.

While Chow gives a clean bill of health on that score, she points out that it is high in fat and calorie- dense, and that being overweight is linked to various cancers, especially colorectal cancer, the commonest from of cancer in Hong Kong. Chow adds that the fat is saturated, just like lard or butter and that this has a role in the build-up of plaques that restrict blood circulation. She recommends eating skinless breast or thigh portions of chicken. As for fats, Chow recommends unsaturated fats such as olive oil or polyunsaturated fats such as those found in fish and nuts.

The snack is often barbecued or grilled, a cooking process known for forming carcinogens, especially in the fat under the skin. However, this is true for all proteins, so Chow recommends limiting their intake and not eating any burnt part of barbecued meats.