New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) 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.

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.

The findings showed that the risk of digestive system cancers including oesophageal, stomach, colon, pancreatic, and liver, is higher for men than for women.

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.

Prior research has suggested chicken as a protein source as it poses less risk of contributing to cardiovascular disease and some gastrointestinal cancers.

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.

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.

“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.

“We believe it is beneficial to moderate poultry consumption, alternating it with other equally valuable protein sources, such as fish. We also believe it is essential to focus more on cooking methods, avoiding high temperatures and prolonged cooking times,” they added.

However, the team urged for further studies to confirm the findings and learn more about the effects of processed poultry.