2025/04/17 by Caterina Bonfiglio, Rossella Tatoli, Rossella Donghia +2 · 1 voice
Medicine · Environmental Science · #Nutritional Studies and Diet #Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact #Nutrition and Health in Aging
paper · pdf · doi:10.3390/nu17081370
openalex publication_date 2025/04/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
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.