Addition of chicken in teenagers` diet will help reduce their risk of developing colon cancer, a new study has suggested.

The study of about 20,000 women, found women who consumed more chicken when they were teens had lower risks of suffering from colorectal adenomas - benign tumours, which may progress into colon cancer, Fox News reported.

The researchers found that substituting one serving per day of red meat with a serving of chicken or fish could reduce rectal and advanced adenomas` risk by about 40 percent.

Researchers wrote in their study that Colorectal carcinogenesis is a long process which may take several decades, and the initial steps of carcinogenesis could occur at young ages.

19,771 women in the age group of 34 - 51 gave answered questions about their diet when they were teenagers and over 10 years, 1,494 of women were found to be suffering from colorectal adenomas of which 305 were in an advanced stage.
The study has been published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.