I asked my doctor this exact question. They said most of what you read about this is overblown and the actual risk is small for a normal healthy person. The news loves a scary health headline. Ask your own doctor before you panic.

I'd get a second opinion if something doesn't sit right with you. Doctors are human and they make mistakes too. Nobody knows your own body better than you do. If your gut says something is wrong, keep pushing until you get answers.

I'm not a doctor and you should definitely talk to your physician about this. That said, the general medical consensus seems to be that moderation is key. Most health concerns come from extremes in either direction.

My advice: don't self-diagnose using the internet. You'll convince yourself you have some rare terrible disease when it's probably nothing. I did this once and worked myself into a panic over what turned out to be a pulled muscle.

The evidence on this is actually mixed. Some studies show one thing, others show the opposite. When the science is unclear, I default to common sense: eat a varied diet, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and don't stress too much about individual health fads.