While chicken may have reputation of being the “healthier meat,” a new study out of Italy fuels the increasing evidence that it actually may not be.

Researchers from Italy’s National Institute of Gastroenterology followed 4,869 adults over two decades to examine the relationship between poultry consumption and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers — including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, pancreas, and liver.

What they found challenges some long-held, common assumptions. People who ate more than 300 grams of poultry per week — about two typical servings — faced a 27% higher risk of early death from GI cancers compared to those eating 100 grams or less weekly.

Importantly, the team used a competing risk model in their analysis. This statistical approach accounts for the fact that people can die from other causes before developing cancer, making the findings more robust than traditional methods.

Higher poultry intake appeared most strongly linked to increased risks for stomach and colon cancers, although the trends were seen across multiple digestive organs as well.

The study was published in scientific journal, Nutrients.

C Bongfiglio et al. Does Poultry Consumption Increase the Risk of Mortality for Gastrointestinal Cancers? A Preliminary Competing Risk Analysis. Nutrients (2025). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17081370