In 2009, the CDC estimated that 20 million Americans were infected with human papillomavirus, HPV. Six million people per year in the United States are infected. The CDC states that more than 50 percent of all Americans will contact HPV at least once. Genital HPV is the most common STI, sexually transmitted disease, you can catch, but studies show that vitamin A may have a protective link to HPV.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A plays a major role in keeping your immune system at its peak. It is sometimes spoken of as the anti-infective vitamin because of its integral part in your body's ability to resist infection. When you develop an infection, blood retinol, a form of vitamin A, is reduced quickly, causing a vitamin A deficiency. This deficiency in vitamin A has the ability to cause severe illness and even death due to vitamin A's crucial role in production of white blood cells and lymphocytes.
Human Papillomavirus
HPV is spread through skin-to-skin contact, usually with the genital area. Oral contact with the genital area may also cause HPV to spread to the mouth, tongue and throat. Genital warts develop from a different type of HPV than the type that causes cancer. It is possible you may be carrying HPV and not be aware of it. Yet, there is no way of knowing if you will develop cancer from HPV until the disease is evident.
HPV and Cancer
Once HPV integrates into the host cell, it develops proteins that degrade or destroy the mechanisms that prevent quick cell growth and mutation. These mechanisms are in place in your body to prevent the growth of lesions and tumors. Ninety percent of genital and cervical cancer contains HPV. Dr. Robert Haddad of the Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston told Penn State's "Daily Collegian" that HPV may also cause oral cancer. According to the paper, the connection between oral cancer and HPV is fairly recent.
Vitamin A and HPV
Your body is normally able to rid itself of HPV within two years -- provided your immune system is healthy. A 2002 article in the professional journal "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention" notes that infection is not enough to cause cancer. The study followed the role of vitamin A and carotenoids, substances from vegetables that produce forms of vitamin A, in women with cervical cancer. It found that women who consumed higher amounts of vegetables in their diet had a 54 percent decreased risk of HPV infection.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Genital HPV Infection - Fact Sheet
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin A
- Stanford University: Who is Affected by HPV Infection?
- "The Collegian"; Doctors Warn That Form of HPV Linked to Oral Cancer; Erika Spicer; July 2011
- "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention"; Vitamin A, Carotenoids, and Risk of Persistent Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus Infection; Rebecca L. Sedjo, et al.; September 2002
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