Human papilloma viruses (HPVs) infect squamous epithelia and generate warts. They are passed by direct contact; genital HPV infections are sexually transmitted. HPV infection rates are higher in women who have had a higher number of sexual partners (particularly male partners); do not use barrier methods of contraception; and who started having sex at a younger age.

There are more than 100 types of HPV. All can interfere with host-cell machinery that prevents cells from growing and replicating excessively, which are some of the cellular mechanisms that help protect the body against cancer development. Low-risk HPVs cause genital warts; high risk HPVs cause squamous intra-epithelial lesions that can progress to invasive squamous cell carcinoma. The majority of human cervical cancers are associated with high-risk HPV infections. Four subtypes of this virus account for 80 percent of all cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer, which is caused by HPV, is diagnosed in 11,000 women each year in the United States and the disease kills about 4,000 women annually in the USA.  A study led by researchers from Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea in the year 2010 suggests that dietary supplements may be taken to reduce risk of cervical cancer (Ref). To be specific, the study found that taking vitamin supplements reduced risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or cervical dysplasia, which has a small chance of becoming cervical cancer. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia is caused by chronic infection of the cervix with the sexually transmitted HPVs.

HPV infection tends to remain dormant, and with repeated infection, the HPV genome becomes integrated within the host cell genome and some cells may become cancerous.

Most HPV infections do not become persistent, and most persistent HPV infections do not lead to cancer. However, HPV infection is demonstrably present in 99 percent of women with cervical cancer, and may be present but undetected in the remainder. HPV is a necessary while not sufficient cause of cervical cancer.

There is some limited evidence that eating vegetables and fruits can protect against persistence (Ref). There is also evidence that folate can reduce persistence and independently reduce the risk of precancerous lesions in high-risk HPV infected women (Ref).

FDA and EU approved Gardisil for men to prevent genital warts resulting from HPV. GlaxoSmithKline has developed a vaccine called Cervarix for cervical cancer which has been approved some places and is in approval process elsewhere.