Home > News > NHANES 2009-2012 findings: association of sexual behaviors with higher prevalence of oral oncogenic human papillomavirus infections in U.S. men

NHANES 2009-2012 findings: association of sexual behaviors with higher prevalence of oral oncogenic human papillomavirus infections in U.S. men

The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancers is higher and rising more rapidly among men than women in the United States (U.S.) for unknown reasons. We compared the epidemiology of oral oncogenic HPV infection between men and women aged 14-69 years (N=9,480) within the U.S. National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2009-2012. HPV presence was detected in oral DNA by PCR. Analyses were stratified by gender and utilized NHANES sample weights. Oral oncogenic HPV prevalence was higher among men than women (6.6% vs. 1.5%, p<0.001), corresponding to 7.07 million men vs. 1.54 million women with prevalent infection at any point in time during 2009-2012. Prevalence increased significantly with age, current smoking, and lifetime number of sexual partners for both genders (adjusted p-trends<0.02). However, men had more partners than women (mean=18 vs. 7, p<0.001). Although oncogenic HPV prevalence was similar for men and women with 0-1 lifetime partners, the male-female difference in prevalence significantly increased with number of lifetime partners (adjusted prevalence differences for none, one, 2-to-5, 6-to-10, 11-to-20, and 20+ partners=1.0%, 0.5%, 3.0%, 5.7%, 4.6%, and 9.3%, respectively). Importantly, the per-sexual-partner increase in prevalence was significantly stronger among men than women (adjusted Synergy Index=3.3; 95%CI=1.1-9.7), and this increase plateaued at 25 lifetime partners among men vs.10 partners among women. Our data suggest that the higher burden of oral oncogenic HPV infections and HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers among men than women arises in part from higher number of lifetime sexual partners and stronger associations with sexual behaviors among men.

Does caffeine fight cancer?

Epidemiological studies have shown that caffeinated drinks may help prevent skin cancer by inhibiting a DNA repair pathway, thus killing potentially precancerous cells. In English, it means that drinking drinks containing caffeine will reduce one’s chances of developing some types of cancer, including UV-associated skin cancer. That just proves that caffeine fight cancer. The results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, lend support to the idea that caffeine could be added to sunblock to increase its protective effects. At the cellular level, they’re showing that caffeine is working in this way of inducing an apoptotic mechanism. This statement was then made by cancer epidemiologist Joanne Kotsopoulos of the University of Toronto.

In the 2007, a study stated that woman who drank caffeinated coffee on a daily basis had a 10 percent lower risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Six or more cups of coffee a day translated to a 30 percent reduction in risk. Mouse studies have also confirmed the link, with both ingested and topically-applied caffeine lowering skin cancer rates in the animals. But exactly how the stimulant protected against cancer remained mysterious. One possibility is the drug’s inhibition of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR), a large protein kinase that senses incomplete DNA replication often a result of DNA damage and signals the cell to not divide. By inhibiting ATR activity, caffeine could make cells more likely to die in response to UV damage, preventing damaged cells from ever becoming cancerous.

Studies have shown that the caffeine molecule acts as a sunscreen. It therefore blocks the penetration of UV rays. And that is why today we see many sunblocks with a good amount of caffeine in them.

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Can sugar consumption cause breast cancer?

A recent study stated that drinking three sugar sweetened drinks a week would increase the risk of having breast cancer. The study had 776 pre-menopausal women and 779 post-menopausal women. Each women’s breast density was assessed by examining their mammograms. The women were told to make a note of sweet they consumed such as chocolates, cakes, ice cream or any sweet drinks. Also they were asked to make a note of how much of spoonful of sugar they add to the drinks.

It was then found out that post-menopausal women who consumed more of sugar, an increase in the density of breast. While the pre-menopausal women observed an increase in breast density when they consumed sugar food. These women, in a week were just consuming three sugar sweetened drinks. The study then further stated that sugar tends to increase the migration of breast cells together. This explains the fact that the premenopausal women who consumed sugar-sweetened drinks were 3 percent more likely to have dense breasts than those who didn’t consume the drinks. And having dense breasts increases your risk of breast cancer by making it difficult to see tumors on mammograms.

However, there is more to be studied on this matter. But until then there is still a link between the sugar consumption and breast density. About 40% of women in the US have dense breast and they are totally unaware of it. Doctors say that women with a dense breast are five time more likely to have a breast cancer and 10 times more likely to miss the tumor in the mammogram test.

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