Findings of a new study have shown that people who eat chicken may have increased risk of getting cancer.
In the new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, researchers from Oxford University in the UK, tracked 475,000 middle-aged Britons between the years 2016 and 2014.
The researchers analyzed the participants' diets as well as their diseases and illnesses. About 23,000 of the participants was later diagnosed with cancer.
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
The researchers found a link between chicken consumption and increased risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, the disease-fighting network of the body.
The tumors in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma develop from a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes. The condition is characterized by painless, but swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin, persistent fatigue, abdominal pain or swelling, fever, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, as well as chest pain and breathing problems.
The study also found an association between eating white meat and an increased risk for malignant melanoma and prostate cancer in men.
Prostate Cancer And Melanoma
Prostate Cancer Affect the prostate gland that produces some of the fluid in semen and plays a role in urine control in men. It is the most prevalent cancer in men, albeit it is treatable if detected in the early stages.
Melanoma is the most serious among skin cancer types. It develops in the melanocytes, which produce melanin, the pigment that gives the skin its color. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning beds is popularly associated with the disease. Initial signs of melanoma include changes in an existing mole and the development of a new pigment or odd-looking growth on the skin.
The researchers said that further studies can shed more light on the positive association between poultry intake and prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
"Poultry intake was positively associated with risk for malignant melanoma (HR per 30 g/day increment in intake 1.20, 95% CI 1.00-1.44), prostate cancer (1.11, 1.02- 1.22) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (1.26, 1.03-1.55)," A. Kruppel and colleagues wrote in their study.
