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A team of researchers at Italy’s National Institute of Gastroenterology found a link between regular poultry consumption and premature death from digestive-system cancers. In a study published in Nutrients, they analyzed health data from 4,869 adults who had lived in Italy for at least 20 years.
Previous research has suggested that eating poultry—especially chicken—is healthier than eating red meat because it carries a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and some gastrointestinal cancers. But the new study indicates that regular chicken consumption may be linked to certain digestive-system cancers and earlier death.
What Did the Researchers Discover?
The researchers collected data through surveys and medical examinations conducted by doctors. Participants filled out questionnaires about their diets, and their health information was recorded in medical records and regional databases. Those records let the team track deaths, according to Medical Xpress.
The study looked at how often participants ate poultry and at rates of gastrointestinal cancer and related deaths.
They found a higher incidence of gastrointestinal cancer and higher premature mortality among people who ate more than 300 grams of poultry per week. At that level, the risk of death was 27% higher than for people who ate 100 grams of poultry per week or less.
They said more research is needed to confirm the findings. It isn’t clear whether the higher mortality is caused by poultry itself or by cooking methods — for example, if the meat was fried, breaded, or prepared with certain seasonings.
