High Alcohol Intake Linked to Increased Risk of HPV In Men

High alcohol intake has been associated with an increased risk of the human papillomavirus (HPV) in men, according to recent findings published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Researchers found that based on data from more than 1,000 men who were already taking part in the US arm of the HPV in Men (HIM) study, there was still an increased risk of this health issue, dependent of such factors as the number of sexual partners and smoking.

Men who habitually drank more tended to be younger, smokers, of white ethnicity, to have had more sexual partners, and they were also more likely to be circumcised--which may protect against certain sexually transmitted infections than those who drank less, according to the news release.

The men underwent a medical examination two weeks before the start of the study, and then every six months afterwards. Samples were taken from three genital areas to test for the presence of HPV.
Furthermore, average daily alcohol intake among those who tested positive for HPV was significantly higher than among the 514 men who tested positive. It was about 5g for those testing positive compared to about 3 g for those who tested negative.

"Although these results cannot be considered causal and should be interpreted with caution, our findings do provide additional support to current public health messaging regarding the importance of moderate alcohol consumption, smoking cessation, and safe sex practices," the researchers concluded, in a news release.