Impact of Dietary Quality on Genital Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus Infection in Women

Most cervical cancers are directly linked to oncogenic or high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection. This study evaluates associations between diet quality and genital HPV infection in women.

This study included 10 543 women from the 2003-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The outcome was the genital HPV infection status (HPV-negative, low-risk [LR] HPV, and HR-HPV). Dietary quality was evaluated using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), in which a higher score indicates a better diet quality.

Women who did not consume total fruits (15.8%), whole fruits (27.5%), or green vegetables and beans (43%) had a significantly higher risk of HR-HPV infection than women who complied with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (HR-HPV odds ratio = 1.76, 1.63, and 1.48 for a HEI score of 0 vs 5, respectively) after adjusting confounding factors. Similar results of these food components on LR-HPV infection were found. In addition, intake of whole grains and dairy was inversely associated with LR-HPV infection.

This study showed that women who did not eat fruits, dark-green vegetables, and beans had a higher risk of genital HR-HPV infection. Intake of these food components is suggested for women to prevent HPV carcinogenesis.