hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
...as little as 19 bites may be anough to kill you say Scientists!
It's often touted as the healthier meat choice and America's most popular protein, but a new study suggests chicken may not be as good for you as we once thought.
Researchers from Italy found people who eat more than about 19 bites (or four servings) of chicken per week are more likely to die than those who eat less than 100 grams weekly.
Additionally, the study appears to have found a concerning link between eating too much chicken - generally considered healthier than red meat because it's lower in saturated fat and cholesterol - and gastrointestinal cancers.
The findings suggest those eating more than 300 grams weekly had double the risk of an early death from digestive system cancers - the risk was even higher for men.
It's unclear why consuming just 19 bites of chicken may increase cancer risk, but the researchers have several theories.
They suspect overcooking chicken may create high levels of 'mutagens' - chemical or physical substances that cause genetic mutations - or that the way chickens are raised and fed could contribute to cancer risk.
For example, some studies suggest eating chicken exposes the human body to carcinogenic pesticides and hormones present in their feed.
To investigate a potential link between chicken and early death, researchers from the National Institute of Gastroenterology in Italy collected data on the diets of 4,869 adults, then tracked their health for 19 years.
Each participant provided information about their demographic background, general health status, lifestyle habits and medical history through interviews with the researchers.
The team also recorded their weight, height and blood pressure, and asked them to complete a research-backed questionnaire about their eating habits.
The survey included questions about how much red meat, poultry and total meat the participants ate, and this data was sorted into four intake levels per protein type.
Over the course of the observation period, the researchers kept track of who died.
Of the 1,028 participants who died, white meat accounted for roughly 41 percent of their weekly meat intake, and 29 percent of that was poultry. The remaining 59 percent was red meat.
The researchers used statistical analysis to look for a link between poultry consumption and mortality, eliminating the role of other factors such as age, sex and health conditions.
The results, published in the journal Nutrients, suggested eating more than 300 grams of chicken per week was associated with a 27 percent increased mortality risk from any cause compared to eating less than 100 grams per week.
Research by Health Canada shows the different fat concentrations in chicken versus beef, suggesting that chicken may not always be the leaner choice after all
Just 19 bites of popular 'health' food per week could kill you
It's often touted as the healthier meat choice and America's most popular protein, but a new study suggests chicken may not be as good for you as we once thought.
Researchers from Italy found people who eat more than about 19 bites (or four servings) of chicken per week are more likely to die than those who eat less than 100 grams weekly.
Additionally, the study appears to have found a concerning link between eating too much chicken - generally considered healthier than red meat because it's lower in saturated fat and cholesterol - and gastrointestinal cancers.
The findings suggest those eating more than 300 grams weekly had double the risk of an early death from digestive system cancers - the risk was even higher for men.
It's unclear why consuming just 19 bites of chicken may increase cancer risk, but the researchers have several theories.
They suspect overcooking chicken may create high levels of 'mutagens' - chemical or physical substances that cause genetic mutations - or that the way chickens are raised and fed could contribute to cancer risk.
For example, some studies suggest eating chicken exposes the human body to carcinogenic pesticides and hormones present in their feed.
To investigate a potential link between chicken and early death, researchers from the National Institute of Gastroenterology in Italy collected data on the diets of 4,869 adults, then tracked their health for 19 years.
Each participant provided information about their demographic background, general health status, lifestyle habits and medical history through interviews with the researchers.
The team also recorded their weight, height and blood pressure, and asked them to complete a research-backed questionnaire about their eating habits.
The survey included questions about how much red meat, poultry and total meat the participants ate, and this data was sorted into four intake levels per protein type.
Over the course of the observation period, the researchers kept track of who died.
Of the 1,028 participants who died, white meat accounted for roughly 41 percent of their weekly meat intake, and 29 percent of that was poultry. The remaining 59 percent was red meat.
The researchers used statistical analysis to look for a link between poultry consumption and mortality, eliminating the role of other factors such as age, sex and health conditions.
The results, published in the journal Nutrients, suggested eating more than 300 grams of chicken per week was associated with a 27 percent increased mortality risk from any cause compared to eating less than 100 grams per week.
Research by Health Canada shows the different fat concentrations in chicken versus beef, suggesting that chicken may not always be the leaner choice after all
Just 19 bites of popular 'health' food per week could kill you
