Eating Chicken During Teenage Years Reduces Risk of Colon Cancer

If you find out that your kids love chicken, then it is a bonus.  A latest study has discovered a strong association between chicken consumption during teenage years and lower risk of colon cancer.

The study examined more than 20,000 women between ages 34-51 years. Researchers  noticed that those women who consumed more chicken as teens had lower chances of developing colorectal adenomas, benign tumors that can progress into colon cancer, reports Huffington Post.

The study conducted by experts from the Harvard University School Public Health, Boston, is the first to highlight the health benefits of consuming chicken during teenage years and also the first to link teenage eating habits with the risk of bowel cancer later in life.

Reports according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in country. In the year 2009, nearly 136,717 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 51,848 people died from it.

In the current study, the researchers evaluated the link between meat and fish consumption during adolescence and the risk of developing colon cancer in later life.

The study began in 1998. Initially, the participants were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire that focused on diet taken during high school. There was one lower bowel endoscopy conducted on the participants during the study period i.e.between 1998-2007. During this period nearly 1,494 participants were diagnosed with the risk of colorectal cancer, reports Food Product Design.

The researchers noticed that intake of poultry during adolescence was linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer when compared to intake of red meat.

Through the study the researchers didn't notice a direct link between red meat and colorectal adenomas, but when they replaced one serving per day of red meat with poultry or fish the risk of rectal and advanced adenomas dropped by 41percent.  

Researchers concluded saying, "Our findings do not suggest an association between red meat intake during adolescence and colorectal adenomas later in life, but higher poultry intake during this time was associated with a lower risk of colorectal adenomas."

The latest study published in the American journal of Epidemiology