# Does Poultry Consumption Increase the Risk of Mortality for Gastrointestinal Cancers? A Preliminary Competing Risk Analysis

## TL;DR

A study in southern Italy found that eating more than 300 grams of poultry per week increases the risk of death from all causes and gastrointestinal cancers, especially in men.

## Contribution

This study is the first to report a significant association between high poultry consumption and increased mortality from gastrointestinal cancers using a competing risk analysis.

## Key findings

- Consuming more than 300 g of poultry per week was linked to a 27% higher risk of death from all causes.
- Poultry consumption above 300 g/week increased gastrointestinal cancer mortality risk by 2.27 times.
- Men had a higher gastrointestinal cancer mortality risk (2.61 times) compared to women at the same poultry consumption level.

## Abstract

Background: Poultry meat is currently among the most widely consumed meats in Italy and worldwide. Poultry is reasonably affordable and accessible, explaining the high global consumption rates. This population-based prospective cohort study investigated the association between meat consumption and gastrointestinal cancers (GCs) and other causes of mortality in southern Italy. Methods: Data were collected from 4869 participants in the MICOL and NUTRIHEP cohorts. The EPIC questionnaire was used to elicit information on food and drink consumption. For analytical purposes, weekly meat consumption was grouped into four categories: total meat: <200 g, 201–300 g, 301–400 g, and >400 g red meat: <150 g, 150–250 g, 251–350 g, and >350 g; poultry: <100 g, 100–200 g, 201–300 g, and >300 g. Cox proportional hazard regression and competing risk models were employed for statistical analysis. Results: Analyzing weekly poultry consumption, it was observed that subjects consuming more than 300 g had a 27% higher risk of death from all causes [HR 1.27; 95% CI (1.00; 1.61)] than those consuming less than 100 g. In addition, for GCs, the SHR for weekly poultry consumption above 300 g was 2.27 [95% CI (1.23; 4.17)], a risk that for men increased to 2.61 [95% CI (1.31; 5.19)]. Conclusions: Our study showed that poultry consumption above 300 g/week is associated with a statistically significant increased mortality risk both from all causes and from GCs. The risk is higher for men than for women.