Chicken incorporates relatively high levels of arachidonic acid and tryptophan, and is a very good source of vitamin B6. Chicken is also a good source of choline, selenium, and zinc (especially in dark meat), and also incorporates some iron, niacin, and vitamin B12. Chicken is far lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than red meat.
White chicken and turkey meat contain less fat and iron than the dark meat in legs and thighs. Consumption of chicken and other poultry has been found to be associated with reduced risks of head and neck, pancreatic, bladder, ovarian and colorectal cancer. In some of the studies, these inverse associations were found to be stronger for consumption of skinless chicken or chicken that had not been grilled or fried. On the other hand, poultry consumption has also been linked to increased risks of lymphoma, thyroid cancer and hematopoietic cancers.
Breast cancer-related effects of eating chicken
Human studies
Chicken and poultry consumption have been found in numerous studies to be associated with lower risk of breast cancer, although not all published research is consistent on this point. Consumption of white meat was associated with lower breast density, a strong breast cancer risk factor, in one study. Another large prospective study reported that adolescent poultry intake was associated with lower risk of breast cancer in adulthood. The reported favorable associations might be at least in part a result of food substitution — eating chicken rather than red meat reduces the proportion of red meat in the diet.
Vitamin B6
As noted above, chicken is a very good source of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). Vitamin B6 intake has been linked to reduced breast cancer risk in several studies. For example, a major French prospective study reported that vitamin B6 intake was inversely associated with breast cancer risk. A Korean study found that vitamin B6 was associated with improved breast cancer survival in overweight hormone receptor positive (ER+/PR+) breast cancer patients. Another study reported that vitamin B6 was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing ER- breast cancer. However, not all studies have reported a significant inverse association between vitamin B6 and breast cancer.
Note that vitamin B6 ideally should be obtained from food (or low dose supplements, if needed). High daily doses of vitamin B6 supplements and/or long duration of vitamin B6 treatment can be neurotoxic. In addition, they might promote cancer; one study reported that men who took over 20 mg of vitamin B6 per day had a two-fold increase in lung cancer risk compared to nonusers.
Excess arachidonic acid can promote breast cancer
Arachidonic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid found in chicken (especially in chicken fat). Several studies have demonstrated that arachidonic acid can promote breast cancer. For example, arachidonic acid has been shown to induce the migration and invasion of triple negative (ER-/PR-/HER2-) breast cancer cells. Corn-fed chicken incorporates higher levels of arachidonic acid then free-range chicken. Visible chicken fat should be removed before cooking and rendered chicken fat such as schmaltz should be avoided.
Organic chicken is best
Organic chicken is a much better choice than conventionally raised and processed chicken. The majority of chickens are raised in factory farms under severely cramped and unsanitary conditions that require use of antibiotics and antimicrobial drugs to maintain the health of the birds and maximize their growth.
While the use of hormones to stimulate growth is not legal in poultry, chicken meat (especially the fat) has been found to contain relatively high levels of estrogen, presumably from the soy protein or soy isoflavones in feed.
Commercial feed pellets are less desirable than organic grain and food that chickens find themselves when pastured (i.e., the grass, seeds, worms, and beetles that chickens locate when scratching and pecking). Organic corn-free and soy-free certified humane or certified animal welfare approved chicken are possible good choices for consumers who want to purchase meat from healthy birds that are relatively humanely raised and free from antibiotics, insecticides, and other additives, as well as corn, soy, and animal byproducts in the feed.
Avoid high-heat chicken preparation methods
The method of preparation appears to be important; very well done barbecued chicken, deep fried chicken, grilled well done chicken with skin, and pan-fried chicken all have been found to contain unacceptably high levels of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), which are known carcinogens. Chicken gravy made with pan drippings also is not recommended. Population studies that examined cooking methods have found consumption of deep fried chicken and chicken with skin to be associated with increased breast cancer risk. Based on the available evidence, organic skinless chicken that has not been charred or cooked using a high-heat method may offer some protection against breast cancer or at least not increase risk.
Limit chicken livers
Chicken, turkey, duck and goose livers should be avoided because of their high iron and copper contents. While iron deficiency anemia obviously is to be avoided, the contribution of significant iron in the diet as a result of regularly consuming such livers could be detrimental for some women. Iron depletion has been shown to lead to significant inhibition of breast cancer cell growth in the laboratory. Relatively high levels of iron in benign breast tissue was found in one prospective study to be associated with an increase in risk of subsequent breast cancer. In addition, excess iron can interfere with the treatment effects of the chemotherapy drugs Adriamycin and cisplatin.
While copper does not appear to increase breast cancer risk, it may increase the risk of recurrence. Copper has been shown to promote angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels) and metastasis, especially in aggressive forms of breast cancer such as inflammatory (IBC), triple negative, and HER2 overexpressing (HER2+) breast cancer. While copper is a vital nutrient, women with breast cancer probably should not exceed the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of approximately 0.9 mg. Cooked chicken livers contain approximately 0.15 mg copper per ounce.
Additional comments
Processed poultry meat such as smoked turkey, turkey bacon, and chicken sausage containing sodium nitrite should be avoided (see the discussion of processed meats in bacon). Other processed chicken food products such as chicken nuggets also are not recommended.
Chicken meat bearing tumors should be avoided. The USDA allows the sale of meat from poultry infected with some diseases that cause tumors in chickens. Processors are permitted to cut off the tumors and process the remainder of the bird.
To avoid potential food poisoning from contamination with E. coli or salmonella, chicken should always be fully cooked.
Sources of information provided in this webpage
The information above, which is updated continually as new research becomes available, has been developed based solely on the results of academic studies. Clicking on any of the underlined terms will take you to its tag or webpage, which contain more extensive information.
Below are links to 20 recent studies concerning this food and its components. For a list of studies that includes less recent research, please click on chicken.