Abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Additionally, oral HPV accounts for over 70% of head and neck cancers (HNC), where people living with HIV (PLWH) have higher prevalence of oral HPV infection and higher risk of HNC than people without HIV. Since HPV and HIV are associated with chronic inflammation, PLWH could benefit from nutritional interventions that combat inflammation: strengthening their immune system and preventing HPV- and HIV-associated disease. Nutritional interventions composed of supplemental micronutrient intake, probiotics and anti-inflammatory foods can promote immune health. We aim to describe dietary anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory patterns of a population of Hispanic PLWH, and their association with oral HPV infection. Data from an ongoing IRB-approved cross-sectional study (May 2023-present) among PLWH ≥21 years from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and San Francisco were analyzed (n = 545). Mouthwash oral samples were taken for HPV detection using the Ampfire system (Atila Biosystems, Mountain View, CA). We evaluated 15 high-risk (HR) HPV types (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68). A questionnaire was administered regarding participants’ nutritional intake, demographic and lifestyle variables. We defined an anti-inflammatory diet as a minimum consumption of vegetables, fruits and fish at least 3 times per week (yes/no). Alternately, pro-inflammatory diets considered equal amounts of minimum consumption but of whole grain cereals (hot and/or cold), starch-rich foods, and high-fat dairy products. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression models evaluated the associations between diet and oral HR-HPV infection, as well as other covariates. Among study participants (45.9% Puerto Rico, 36.1% Mexico, 18.0% San Francisco), most were male (67.0%), aged 21–44 years (45.0%), single (64.7%), and had ≤12 years of education (52.9%). Overall prevalence of HR-HPV infection was 14.4%; Puerto Rico: 12.8%, Mexico: 12.2%, and San Francisco: 22.5%. Although results were not statistically significant, a lower prevalence of HR-HPV infection was observed among persons with anti-inflammatory diets (9.1%) as compared to their counterparts (15.2%) (p0.05). The prevalence of HPV infection was similar in persons with pro-inflammatory diets (15.7%) and those who did not have this type of diet (13.3%). In multivariate analysis, PLWH who consumed anti-inflammatory diets were 50 % less likely to have oral HPV infection (OR=0.50, 95% CI=0.21-1.14; p= 0.09) as compared to their counterparts. Age, sex, and study site were not associated with oral HR-HPV infection in multivariate analysis. Consumption of an anti-inflammatory diet may be protective against oral HR-HPV infection. Additional longitudinal studies are warranted to further assess this association. Healthy food choices and supplemental micronutrient intake should continue to be promoted among the healthy lifestyles of PLWH. Funded by NIH (R25AI183304-01, 1R56DE032668, U54GM133807 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A062.
Santiago-Marrero et al. (Thu,) studied this question.