Hyderabad, Feb. 22 -- A claim by an oncologist linking Kerala's high cancer incidence to beef curry and parotta consumption has sparked debate online, with another medical expert invoking "Simpson's Paradox" to challenge the interpretation of the data.

Dr Rajeev Vijayakumar, Senior Consultant Medical Oncologist, said in a recent podcast discussion that cancer is often caused by red meat consumption and alleged that Kerala leads India in cancer incidence per capita because of dietary habits such as beef curry and parotta consumption.

Citing global health classifications, he said processed meat is classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), while unprocessed red meat is classified as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A) for colorectal can...