Eat a breast to prevent breast cancer?

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), a fast food chain, has partnered with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the largest grassroots breast cancer organization with a mission of "energizing science to find the cures" worldwide, throughout April and May with their "Buckets for the Cure" campaign.

KFC has made their iconic buckets of grilled or original recipe chicken pink, the signature color for breast cancer awareness, and for each bucket sold until May 30 or while supplies last, 50 cents (€0.37) will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure to fund "breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs."

The Pink Buckets' "lids ... will have a call to action to get involved. Names of breast cancer survivors and those who have lost their battle with breast cancer will be listed on the sides of the bucket." KFC does not list prices on their site but a regular bucket costs $9-12 (€6.70-8.90).

To date KFC has raised $1, 604, 403 (€1,191,965) with a goal of $8.5 million (€6.3 million) by May 30, ambitious considering, M&M's went pink in 2009 and donated $500,000 (€371,428) to breast cancer. However purchasing a Pink Bucket is not the only way to "help make the largest single donation to end breast cancer forever;" you can also get involved via BucketsForTheCure.com to donate without buying any chicken, promote the initiative with Facebook, Twitter and read/submit your personal story with breast cancer.

KFC is making a major contribution to breast cancer with this campaign but it is difficult to overlook the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's (PCRM) 2009 report that found "PhIP, a chemical classified as a carcinogen" related to "heterocyclic amines (HCAs), has been linked to several forms of cancer, including breast cancer, in dozens of scientific studies. No safe level of ingestion has been identified. Every sample [of KFC's Grilled Chicken] also tested positive for at least one additional type of HCA." KFC is not alone - other fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King have also had their grilled chicken test positive for PhIP.

Also in the news is KFC's newest sandwich, the Double Down, described as a "one-of-a-kind sandwich with two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce," which launched on April 12 for $5.49 (€4.07).

Provided KFC stopped cooking their chicken at high temperatures, which is what causes PhIP, the Double Down raises a host of other health issues. So much that FiveThirtyEight.com, a polling blog, created an index to determine if the Double Down is the unhealthiest sandwich ever based on fat, sodium and cholesterol levels divided by caloric intake. Double Down was the winner with Wendy's Baconater a close second. The complete index analyzed chicken and burger options from many fast food chains including Subway, McDonald's, Burger King and Arby's.

If you are battling breast cancer or need a reminder to get a check up, join MyKomen, a global online forum and support network: http://apps.komen.org/mykomen/?itc=lefthpban:123

For more information on PCRM's report and PhIP: http://www.pcrm.org/news/release090521.htm http://www.cancerproject.org/media/news/091021.php

To view the complete unhealthiest sandwich index, go to: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/04/double-down-by-numbers-unhealthiest.html