According to some startling results from a new study done in southern Italy, eating chicken poultry regularly may increase your risk of developing gastrointestinal malignancies and dying from all causes. This has raised the question of whether eating chicken is indeed as healthful as we believe.
- Eating 300 grams of poultry a week was associated with a higher risk of gastrointestinal cancer and death from all causes, according to a new study.
- Customers are concerned about the findings because they go against the conventional wisdom that poultry, including chicken and turkey, is a healthier source of protein.
- Experts are consulted by Medical News Update to determine whether these results are simplistic or whether there is a real need for greater vigilance about nutrition and cancer risk.
The results of the study showed that eating more than 300 grams (g) of poultry, such as chicken and turkey, per week, which is the weekly recommended amount, increased the risk of all-cause death by 27% as compared to consuming moderate amounts.
Additionally, the study found that eating more poultry was associated with a 2.3% greater risk of gastrointestinal malignancies, with men having a higher observed risk of 2.6%. The journal Nutrients published the results.
Customers are concerned because these findings contradict popular dietary recommendations, such as the Mediterranean diet, which heavily emphasizes poultry.
Should we alter our diets, though? Are the outcomes overstated? When assessing the findings of comparable nutrition research, what should we watch out for?
Two experts were interviewed by Medical News Update: Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, a dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Department of Department of Wellness & Preventive Medicine in Cleveland, OH, and senior fellow at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare in Wickenburg, AZ; and Wael Harb, MD, a board-certified hematologist and medical oncologist at Memorial Care Cancer Institute at Orange Coast and Saddleback Medical Centers in Orange County, CA.
So Cancer a product of the chemicals or the poultry itself?
The “healthiness” of a food source may be affected by how it’s cooked or by whether other factors like oils and spices are added, two experts say, though these might be the more strongly linked determinant of the possible cancer risks of eating poultry than the poultry itself.
Poultry may release chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) when cooked grilled, fried or at high temperatures, chemicals that have been associated with an increased risk of cancer. But because other meats, such as red meat and processed meats, also contain these compounds, the issue may have more to do with cooking methods rather than meat itself, Harb explained. “Cooking may release chemicals that cause cancer.
Kirkpatrick went on to say that the way a food item is prepared and processed can affect its possible advantages or disadvantages.
For example, a frozen chicken nugget might be considered processed, whereas fried and breaded chicken might pose danger. A reliable source of the high-heat frying process might even come from a variant, she said. That could mean the health effects were different in both – whether it was raw or cooked chicken breast.
