Rising cancer rates among women are linked to a move away from traditional home bread baking, according to comments made by Zoyir Mirzayev, governor of Uzbekistan’s Tashkent region, in a video that sparked heated debate on social media last year. The footage was filmed in the city of Bekabad during a meeting between the governor and local residents, UzDaily reported.
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Mirzayev suggested that one contributing factor to cancer trends is the decline of traditional tandoor bread baking. The governor said that during his visits to mahallas, or neighborhood communities, he has increasingly noticed the absence of tandoor ovens and a shift away from homemade bread toward factory-produced products.
Tandoor baking and health claims
The regional leader recalled that while working in the Samarkand region, he once hosted a South Korean doctor who analyzed factors affecting cancer rates among women. According to Mirzayev, low physical activity ranked first among seven or eight key factors, followed by the abandonment of baking bread in traditional tandoor ovens.
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Mirzayev claimed that working near a hot tandoor oven «improves blood circulation» and «cleanses blood vessels,» thereby benefiting overall health. His remarks quickly drew widespread criticism online.
Social media reaction
With major Uzbek cities frequently appearing in global air pollution rankings, the governor’s comments triggered a heated response. Many social media users argued that systemic environmental and public health issues were being overshadowed by unscientific explanations.
«That’s degradation.»
«And people have flat feet because they don’t pick cotton anymore!? Their eyesight is deteriorating because they don’t read by candlelight but use electricity!?»
«By what criteria are they appointed to such positions?» users wrote.
Previously, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that a music video by the Uzbek band Muzikaki, who performed a cover song against the backdrop of heavy smog in Tashkent, has also been gaining traction on social media.
