Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is responsible for most genital, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers, in which men contribute significantly to infection and subsequent tumorigenesis in women. Vitamin E has been shown to be associated with vaginal HPV infection and cervical cancer. However, the association of vitamin E consumption with HPV infection among the overall population remains unclear. We investigate the association between vitamin E consumption and genital and oral HPV infection in both men and women. We used cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013 and 2016 to collect details on their dietary vitamin E intake, genital and oral HPV infection status, and other essential variables. In total, 5809 participants aged 18-59 years were identified, with overall prevalence of high-risk and low-risk HPV infection of 23.7% and 21.1%, respectively. Compared with the lowest vitamin E group Q1 (<5.18 mg/day), the adjusted OR for vitamin E consumption and overall high-risk HPV infection in Q2 (5.18-7.54 mg/day), Q3 (7.55-10.82 mg/day), and Q4 (>10.82 mg/day) were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.81-1.03, p = 0.134), 0.77 (95% CI: 0.69-0.87, p < 0.001), and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.65-0.80, p < 0.001), respectively. Restricted cubic spline regression showed a linear relationship between vitamin E consumption and overall high-risk HPV infection. This linear relationship also existed for vitamin E consumption and overall low-risk HPV infection. After being stratified by gender and site, vitamin E consumption was inversely related to vaginal low- and high-risk HPV infection, penile high-risk HPV infection, and male oral low-risk HPV infection. In conclusion, we identified inverse linear relationships between dietary vitamin E intake and overall high- and low-risk HPV infection. Future well-designed longitudinal studies are still required to validate the impact of vitamin E on HPV carcinogenesis.
Keywords: cervical cancer; human papillomavirus; nutritional epidemiology; oropharyngeal cancer; penile cancer; vitamin E.