Risk of HPV High in Men Who are Heavy Drinkers: Study

Drinking too much hikes up the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) in men, finds a study.

Recently, an international study involving about 1,300 men assessed the factors and habits linked to the occurrence of HPV.  The participants were surveyed about their sex life and eating habits including food frequency, serving size, level of intake of alcohol in the last one year. The subjects also underwent medical examinations and samples were examined before and after the study.

The researchers classified the volunteers according to their level of alcohol consumption and noted that younger participants particularly engaged in regular drinking and smoking and had more number of sexual partners. The risk rate for HPV was low among those who were circumcised compared to youngsters who rarely indulged in heavy drinking.

At the end of the trial about 514 men whose average alcohol consumption was 4.25 grams per day had higher risk of HPV while, those who drank less than 3.13 grams tested negative. These finding were uniform regardless of the other risky behaviors like excessive drinking, smoking and more number of sexual partners.

The authors warn men who test positive for HPV are vulnerable to cancers in sex organs and reproductive system and hence must be vaccinated against the virus to minimize their chances.

"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," write the authors in the study.

More information is available online in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.