Pregnant women should start watching out what they eat especially if they are expecting a boy. PETA warned that eating chicken wings during pregnancy may lead to sons with small penises.
The animal rights group wrote a letter to Drew Creza, founder of the National Buffalo Wings Festival, citing a study they conducted with alarming results associating chicken wings with the size of the genitals.
According to the letter sent by Lindsay Rajt, a cat-obsessed member of PETA, the recent study linking chicken wings to smaller penises found that the skin in this chicken part contains chemical that shrinks the male genitals.
"Findings published by the Study for Future Families showed that eating poultry during pregnancy may lead to smaller penis size in male infants. In addition, eating cholesterol-laden chicken flesh during pregnancy may also increase unborn babies' risk of being born with blocked arteries, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks later in life," Rajt wrote in the letter.
While the animal rights activist's letter specifically pointed out that the chicken wings are the main culprit behind the shrinking size of the penises, the Women's Health magazine which published the study clarified that it wasn't the chicken wings to blame. They clarified that the study was referring to the chemical called "phthalate" used to soften the chicken skin but it is not from the chicken itself. The chemical exposure happens when spices are added on the chicken and during packaging as it is also present on plastic wrappers.
Furthermore, Shanna Swan, lead author of the study told Women's Health, "I think any link between eating buffalo wings-even by pregnant women-and the size of their son's genitals is very tenuous."
PETA may have thought that their shocking announcement may help stop people from attending the festival and indulge into chicken wings.
The National Buffalo Wing Festival is an annual event in Buffalo, N.Y in honor of the chicken wings. People celebrate it along with Labor Day. It also a chicken wing eating contest as one of its highlights. Generally, the event consumes about 40 tons of chicken each year.
