Study looks into the relationship between lifestyle choices and HPV infection risk

The relationship between physical activity, a balanced diet, restful sleep, depression, and anxiety in humans has been established. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between these lifestyle factors and the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Dr. Yantao Li, of BGI Genomics, was a co-author. It was published in Section Gynecological Oncology. Cervical cancer is one of the many cancers that HPV, a virus, can cause.

Studies on HPV risk factors tend to concentrate on female gynaecological infections or sexual risk factors. There are, however, few cross-sectional studies that take into account lifestyle variables, additional current diseases, or previous diseases. Physical activity and a balanced diet appeared to show a significant relationship with HPV infection. Nevertheless, there is no discernible link between HPV infection and either a history of disease or a current illness.

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In Shenzhen, China, a digital eHealth platform was used to enlist 495 women between the ages of 18 and 59. These women were then screened for physical activity, balanced diet, and HPV infection using questionnaires and HPV genotyping assay tests.

lifestyle elements

Self-reported questionnaires asking participants about their frequency and amount of physical activity over the previous year were used to evaluate physical activity. Following that, the participants were divided into three groups based on their level of physical activity: low, moderate, and high. Women who claimed to engage in more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise each week were included in the high-activity group.

As anticipated, patients who engaged in more physical activity compared to participants who engaged in less physical activity had a lower risk of HPV infection. P-values 0.01 from univariate logistic regression and P-values 0.001 from multivariate logistic regression indicated that this association was significant. This suggests that engaging in regular exercise may be protective against HPV infection.

Utilizing a validated food frequency questionnaire, diet balance was evaluated. Using this information, the dietary diversity score (DDS), a measurement of the variety of various food groups consumed, was computed for each participant. A higher DDS denotes a diet that is more well-rounded.

According to the study, women with higher DDS scores had significantly lower rates of HPV infection than those with lower DDS scores. From this, it can be inferred that a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat and sugar may be protective against HPV infection.

Balanced diet and exercise among HPV serotypes

In terms of HPV serotype prevalence, there were 5.52% low-risk HPVs, 13.81% intermediate-risk HPVs, and 80.66% high-risk HPVs. From the human reproductive HPVs, HPV 52 had the highest prevalence (19.89%), followed by HPV16 (11.05%), HPV51 (9.39%), and HPV 18 (4.42%).

The majority of HPV infections (83%) involved just one HPV serotype, and the biggest distinction between single and multiple HPV infections was diet balance. The authors therefore suggest two ways to enhance diet balance. One way to ensure the proper consumption of dairy products and animal food products with vitamin A is through the questionnaires in this paper. Consuming more vegetables or fruits, like tomatoes, is another option.

The BGI Ethics Committee and pertinent ethics committees of research partners have approved this study, which complies with applicable laws governing biological and medical research. In order to take part in this study, the patients/participants gave their written informed consent.