Does eating chicken cause cancer? Oxford University study: Eating chicken may increase the risk of 3 types of cancer, is it credible?
"I won't eat chicken again, and I won't buy you fried chicken burgers again." As soon as Lao Zhang entered the door, he heard his wife getting angry, and his son was gloomy.
Lao Zhang asked, "What's the matter?"
"Your son wants to eat fried chicken. I won't let him eat it. Every day I know to eat some junk food. And in the future, our family won't eat chicken anymore!" The wife replied angrily.
Old Zhang was even more puzzled, "What's the matter? It's better to eat less fried chicken, but this chicken is my favorite meat."
"I read it online today and said that chicken causes cancer, or is it the Oxford University study , can you believe it?"
After listening to his wife's words, Lao Zhang searched on his mobile phone, and there really was such a thing. "Hey, I don't know what's safe to eat in the future..."
Recently, red meats such as pork and beef, and Chinese-style salted fish have been labeled as carcinogenic. Can chicken still be eaten? Is this study credible?
1. Oxford University: Eating chicken increases cancer risk?
In May 2019, a prospective analysis of meat intake and cancer risk was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Researchers at the University of Oxford analysed data from the UK Biobank of 475,488 participants (54% women) aged 37-73 years, with a total of 23,117 participants developing cancer over an average of 5.7 years of follow-up.
After further data analysis, the results showed:
- Higher intake of red and processed meat is associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer .
For every 50 g/day increase in red meat intake, the risk of colorectal cancer increases by 20%; for every 20 g/day increase in processed meat intake, the risk of colorectal cancer increases by 16%.
- Poultry intake was positively associated with the risk of malignant melanoma, prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma .
Every 30 g/day increase in poultry intake was associated with a 20% increased risk of malignant melanoma, an 11% increased risk of prostate cancer and a 26% increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
However, the researchers also pointed out that the results of the study only found an association between these meat intake and certain types of cancer, but did not identify the underlying mechanism , and may be affected by residual confounding factors, so these associations, In particular, poultry intake increases cancer risk and further research is needed.
2. Is the chicken still edible?
Many people have read some media reports that "eating chicken will cause cancer", and they are very worried about whether they will not be able to eat chicken in the future. In fact, such worries are superfluous.
First, the study didn't just look at whether chicken could cause cancer, it also included red and processed meat. In order to make the news more explosive, some media exaggerated the carcinogenicity of chicken.
Second, this study is an observational study , and the conclusion only states that there is a correlation, but does not analyze the causal relationship. That said, the results of this study are not strong enough to prove that eating chicken causes cancer.
The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends that adults can eat 280-525 grams of poultry and livestock meat per week , and the average daily total is recommended to be controlled between 120-200 grams. In addition to poultry meat, fish and eggs should also be consumed in moderation. It is best to eat two types of food every day, not only one type.
While chicken has a relatively higher food safety risk than other meats, chicken is also risky.
First of all, for the sake of health, it is generally recommended that the heating temperature of the chicken should reach the core temperature of 74°C . Simply put, the chicken must be cooked thoroughly before eating to avoid the risk of bacterial infection such as Listeria and Salmonella.
When cooking chicken, be careful to separate raw and cooked . Secondly, chicken can only be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days.
3. Chicken, pork, beef, fish, which one is better?
In 2014, a research team from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital found that replacing red meat with white meat such as chicken or fish is beneficial in reducing the risk of liver cancer. The relevant research article was published in the journal "Nutrition Pharmacology and Therapeutics".
The researchers included seven cohort studies and 10 case-control studies from 1956-2013 in a meta-analysis and found that eating more chicken was associated with a 31% lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while eating fish was associated with a lower risk. 22% . Consumption of red, processed, or whole meat was not associated with HCC risk.
The researchers explained that this may be because chicken and fish are both rich in unsaturated fatty acids (Omega-6 and Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids), and they are lower in cholesterol and saturated fat than red meat.
In our daily life, the most common meats we eat are pork, beef, chicken and fish. The respective nutritional values are as follows:
Average protein content : 20.8% for beef, 20.6% for pork, 20.6% for chicken, and 19.2% for fish;
Average fat content: 7.1% for pork, 4.6% for beef, 4.3% for chicken, and 3.5% for fish;
Average calories per 100 grams: 143 kcal for pork, 123 kcal for beef, 122 kcal for chicken and 109 kcal for fish.
So what should we eat? From a health point of view, the recommended order of meat intake is: first without legs, second with two legs, and finally with four legs . At the same time, in order to balance nutrition, it is recommended to alternate eating a variety of meat.
Fourth, eat chicken, pay attention to 2 things
If you want to eat chicken to eat healthier, pay more attention to the following two points.
① 2 parts of chicken, it is recommended to eat less
Sharp wings: The sharp wings of chickens refer to the long tail feathers on the upper part of the chicken butt. There are many lymph glands here, and there may be residual toxic and harmful substances, including bacteria and germs, so it is recommended to eat less chicken buttocks as much as possible.
Chicken skin: Because most of the chicken skin is fatty substances , although it tastes delicious, the nutritional value of chicken skin is not high. And eating too much chicken skin will lead to excessive fat intake, which will easily make people fat, and also increase the risk of chronic diseases such as high blood lipids. Therefore, it is recommended to eat chicken skin as little as possible.
②These two kinds of chickens should also be avoided
Fried chicken: Although fried chicken is crispy and delicious, after frying, it will not only increase the fat content of the chicken, but also some antioxidant vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids in the chicken are easily oxidized. To put it simply, fried chicken is not of high nutritional value, and it is easy to make people gain weight, so it is not recommended to eat fried chicken.
Roasted chicken: Although roasted chicken is rich in oil, rich in oil, and tastes tender on the outside and tender on the inside, but after the chicken is roasted at high temperature, it is easy to produce carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Eating too much will increase the risk of cancer. , so try to eat less roast chicken.
In general, chicken has high nutritional value, rich in high-quality protein, and the content of vitamins and minerals is not low. Moderate consumption is good for the body. You don't need to worry that eating chicken will cause cancer, but don't try to prevent cancer by eating chicken.
References:
[1]Knuppel A， Papier K， Appleby P， et al. OP31 Meat intake and cancer risk： prospective analyses in UK biobank. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2019;73：A15.
[2]Luo J， Yang Y， Liu J， Lu K， Tang Z， Liu P et al. Systematic review with meta-analysis： meat consumption and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2014;39(9)：913-922.
[3] There are five elements to healthy eating chicken! These parts cannot be eaten casually. People's Daily Online, 2018-10-08
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