- NEW DELHI — While
eating chicken, known as lean meat, has long been considered healthier than red
meat, a new study shows that regularly eating poultry may lead to early death
due to gastrointestinal or digestive system cancers.
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- The study, led by researchers at the National Institute of
Gastroenterology, in Italy, is based on an analysis of health-related data for
4,869 adults living in Italy over 20-years.
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- The findings showed that the risk of digestive system
cancers including oesophageal, stomach, colon, pancreatic, and liver, is higher
for men than for women.
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- Poultry meat (mainly chicken) is currently among the most
widely consumed meats worldwide. It is reasonably affordable and accessible,
explaining the high global consumption rates.
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- Prior research has suggested chicken as a protein source as
it poses less risk of contributing to cardiovascular disease and some
gastrointestinal cancers.
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- The new study, published in the journal Nutrients, showed
that people who ate more than 300 grams of poultry per week are likely to
experience a higher incidence of gastrointestinal cancer development and also
early deaths.
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- Moreover, the risk of death after consuming over 300 grams
of poultry per week was 27 per cent higher compared to people who ate just 100
grams of poultry per week or less.
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- “In our opinion, it is important to learn more about the
long-term effects of this food category, white meat, that is widely consumed by
the world population who, perhaps mistakenly, consider it healthy in absolute
terms," said the researchers.
