A study led by Michal Misiak and Petr Turecek concluded cannibalism is unhealthy because it sharply increases disease transmission while providing limited caloric benefit.
Using a mathematical model, the researchers found long-term human consumption could accelerate the spread of prion diseases such as kuru and mad cow disease.
Prion diseases are especially dangerous because the misfolded proteins can survive cooking, making infected human tissue a persistent transmission route.
The paper argues that this health risk—not only moral revulsion—may help explain why cannibalism became one of humanity’s strongest taboos.