New Study: Chicken Causes 1 in 5 UTIs — Dr. Neal Barnard Explains Hidden Risk

The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee

Physicians Committee

Carroll, Health & Fitness, Diabetes, Science, Nutrition, Vegan, Pcrm, Barnard, Weightloss, Food, Health, Recipes, Medicine, Diet

4.9 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Can the chicken on your plate be causing urinary tract infections? New research says yes — and the findings may shock you.

In this must-watch episode of The Exam Room Podcast, host Chuck Carroll is joined by Dr. Neal Barnard to break down a landmark study revealing that poultry—especially chicken—is responsible for approximately 1 in 5 UTIs in the United States.

Dr. Barnard explains:

- How E. coli from poultry contaminates meat

- Why cooking isn't enough to eliminate risk

- How cross-contamination happens in home kitchens

- Why infection rates spike in certain communities

- What a plant-based diet does to dramatically reduce UTI risk

- Foods like cranberries and blueberries that help prevent infections naturally

They also dive into Thanksgiving food myths, the realities of poultry production, antibiotic resistance, and how simple dietary changes can protect your health.

If you've ever struggled with UTIs—or you simply want to understand how diet affects your risk—this episode is essential viewing.

Read the full study: https://bit.ly/UTISourceStudy

🥗 Free Vegan Thanksgiving e-cookbook: https://bit.ly/VeganThanksgivingBook

This episode is sponsored by The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund, which supports organizations like the Physicians Committee that carry on Greg's passion and love for animals through rescue efforts, veganism, and wildlife conservation. Visit their website: https://gregoryreiterfund.org

If you feel like you've raised your health IQ, please leave a 5-star rating and nice review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

About Us
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today, on the exam room.
0:04.0	They looked at meat samples, and they looked at the signatures of these, and they matched them up.
0:10.0	And what they found was, this is not a coincidence.
0:14.0	Chicken is responsible for about one in every five urinary tract infections.
0:17.0	Chicken.
0:18.0	Chicken, particularly. Other meats contribute some, but it's really the poultry and especially
0:21.9	it's chicken. Welcome to the exam room podcast, brought to you by the Physicians Committee. Hi, I'm Chuck
0:30.3	Carroll, raising health IQs coast to coast and around the world. Hi to the exam room. He's listening in
0:36.0	Fresno, California, Aurora, Colorado, and
0:39.3	Vientian, Laos. Wherever you are, we appreciate you, helping to make the world a healthier place.
0:45.4	This is episode 92 of season 8, number 691 overall. And today we are going to be diving into some brand new
0:53.5	research proving that meat doesn't just burn on the grill or in the kitchen.
0:59.4	It's actually research that is turning the world of urology and nutrition upside down.
1:05.0	Because just when you thought you knew what causes urinary tract infections, along comes this new study revealing
1:13.2	that chicken, yes, chicken may be responsible for as many as one in every five UTIs.
1:22.6	You say, wow, chicken, that's crazy, right?
1:25.4	Well, it's not just the chicken, it turns out. Happy Thanksgiving,
1:29.0	gobble, gobble, turkeys on the table, too. And Dr. Neil Barnard is here to break down how
1:34.1	E. coli from poultry makes its way from the farm to your kitchen, to your gut, and eventually
1:40.1	your bladder. So today we're talking all about holiday foods, the reality of poultry production
1:46.9	antibiotic resistance, and the simple dietary choices that can reduce your risk of infection
1:53.0	dramatically. Trust me when I say this is fascinating, eye-opening, and honestly, a little bit disturbing.
	...

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