We all knew was salt was bad for your blood pressure. But it’s also putting you at risk for getting infected with STDs, including HIV.
And all along we were taught to use lube because it meant less risk of anal tissue tearing.
The use of lubricants may make anal sex more comfortable, but they may also increase the risk of spreading sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, researchers said Tuesday. Many experts have been concerned about the potential effects of such lubricants, but there have previously been virtually no studies about how they affect disease.
[…] A partial explanation for the increased risk may have been provided by Charlene Dezzutti, a reproductive science specialist at the University of Pittsburgh, and her colleagues. They studied the effects of six of the most popular lubricants on rectal cells and tissues in laboratory dishes.They found that many of the products had high concentrations of dissolved salts and sugars that draw water out of cells, weakening and even killing the cells. Some of them even stripped away significant portions of the surface epithelial cells on the rectal tissue, the layer of cells that serves as a protective barrier. They also studied the effect of the lubricants on beneficial bacteria in the rectum.
So which lubes should you use? “PRE and Wet Platinum, were shown to be safest for the cells, while Astroglide was the most toxic to cells and tissue. KY Jelly had the worst effect on rectal bacteria, essentially wiping out the entire colony. ID Glide and Elbow Grease had intermediate effects, the team found. None of the lubricants was found to have measurable anti-HIV activity.”
[LAT]
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Hey Queerts!: Do you think that maybe possibly ya can refrain from threads with the words “rectal bacteria” till we have had a chance to digest our muffins???
Derek
oh grow the fuck up and stuff that muffin
j
@Derek: Well done. And this topic’s important, it’s amazing how years of scientific common knowledge (namely that lube helps prevent the spread of HIV by decreasing the risk of tearing tissue) can be cast into doubt. But will this really make people stop using lube?
Alton C
While this is both interesting and important, i think you should have reminded the readers that lube combined with condoms used correctly is what lowers the risk of HIV and other STIs. use as much lube as you want, hi risk sexual activity without proper protection is dangerous, period. Take care of yourselves and each other!!
El Brucio
The article doesn’t mention whether condoms were used or not and how that enters into the equation. I always thought lube was good with condoms because it decreased the risk of breakage.
Bob Bucklew
Great questions – more information on this study is available at http://microbicides2010.org/media
One of the big issues coming out of this story is that these products can be put on the market without any testing to see how they effect our bodies – some of them as indicated in the story seem to react to our bodies in ways that may increase our risk for HIV infection. This should be of concern to everyone who uses lube – gay, lesbian, straight or whoever.
Thanks to a great group of activists from the International Rectal Microbicides Advocates (IRMA) (www.rectalmicrobicies.org) for getting the issue this far.
Fitz
So, with one of the clinics where I work we routinely give out handfuls of condoms and ID lube packs. I can’t tell a bunch of 17-25 year old gay guys to wait for sex until this test is duplicated— I need to think very clearly about the next step!
Couldn´t Care Less
I am on a vegan diet…I used VIRGIN Italian olive oil…
scott ny'er
I’ve always been concerned about the silicone types.
A salesperson had said to me that they are great. Last long. And you only need a small amount to lubricate (thus saving on $$$). But, my thoughts were I’m not certain I want to possibly digest silicone or have it enter my body thru the anus. I mean how safe is silicone really?
I thought the water based products were safer to ingest or have absorbed thru the anus but now… IDK.
Mike L.
I’ll eat activia after a sex then 🙂
IRMA
Hi this is Jim Pickett, the chair of IRMA (International Rectal Microbicide Advocates) who Bob mentioned above. None of this data should be over-interpreted. If you are really interested – we write a lot about lube safety – what we know, what we don’t know, what we need to know – in our new report “From Promise to Product: Advancing Rectal Microbicide Research and Advocacy” – on the IRMA site http://www.rectalmicrobicides.org.
Here is the press release we sent out yesterday with our POV on the study findings mentioned in this post:
———-
Do some currently available lubricants used for anal sex actually make it easier for HIV to be transmitted?
The answer is: we don’t know.
After years of persistent advocacy by IRMA (International Rectal Microbicide Advocates), brand new research from the Microbicide Trials Network, led Charlene Dezzutti, Ph.D., is beginning to answer this critical question.
Today at the 2010 International Microbicides Conference in Pittsburgh, Dezzutti presented the results of tests conducted with five of the most widely used lubricants, chosen from the results of an IRMA web-based survey that collected information on the lubricant preferences of nearly 9,000 men and women from over 100 countries. Dezzutti’s findings indicated that some of the products studied had toxic effects on cells and rectal tissue.
“We know we can’t make any conclusions based on this one small study,” said IRMA Steering Committee member Marc-André LeBlanc who leads IRMA’s lubricant safety advocacy. “Further research is absolutely necessary to understand the potential role of sexual lubricants in HIV transmission. We should be able to provide consumer guidance regarding lubes that are found to be safer than others.”
In the meantime, it’s important to note that lubricant availability tends to translate into higher rates of condom use among people who engage in anal intercourse. The use of condoms with condom-compatible lubricants remains the gold standard for preventing the sexual transmission of HIV.
“Some lubes are probably better than others, but we don’t know where any of the currently available products fall along the spectrum from good to bad,” stated Jim Pickett, IRMA Chair. “While we push for a safe and effective rectal microbicide, we must ensure that existing lubes don’t facilitate HIV transmission. People have a right to this kind of information, and it’s very past due.”
###
IRMA is a global network of advocates, scientists, policy makers and funders from six continents working together to advance a robust rectal microbicide research and development agenda. IRMA is based in the United States with chapters in Latin America and Nigeria. Currently in development, microbicides are products (cream, gel, or maybe a douche or an enema) that could be used to reduce a person’s risk of HIV infection vaginally or rectally
Mike L.
@Mike L.: OMG I don’t understand how I have so many down thumbs of such an innocent joke. I think gaydom is being really bitchy this week, must be our communal time of the month 😛
LOL
Fitz
@Mike L.: I don’t like this system of being able to hide unpopular voices. Smacks of the ugly side of popularism. BUT– that being said, this issue is very serious, and maybe were not ready for joking at first. I arranged for patients at my clinic to get lube and condoms. I don’t want to think that I am helping them get sick– too serious an issue for me.
Mike L.
@Fitz: I understand the seriousness of the article. I wonder if those ppl were asked whether they used condoms when practicing anal sex w lubricants which the article says nothing of. So it leads me to believe that they didn’t ask.
I don’t think that lubricants+condoms+monogamy+std-testing can lead to getting HIV so why not ask these women and men about monogamy, regular std testing and condoms to figura out what groups are more likely to get anal std from anal rather than JUST asking about Lube w anal, it’s too simplistic a study.
JK
Speaking of HIV Prevention, CHECK out the HIV prevention for positives campaign called HIV Stops With Me (www.hivstopswithme.org) or join the discussion around HIV/AIDS issues on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/HIV-Stops-With-Me/106760289359369?ref=ts
StudSlut
I fuck raw, so who cares.
Toby
@Fitz:
To me, the thumbs thing smacks of Tyranny by the Majority. Which is ironic…
I mean, you’d think that a Gay site of ALL places would be sensitive to that fact.
I mean, if enough people gives Gays the thumbs down, should we be forced back into Hiding?
OnCloud9
does this thing taste good?
Jimmi
@Toby: Beautifully said. It is so High School–but then some gay men are so immature.
Jimmi
This is a very important issue and I am glad it is getting coverage.
Jimmi
@StudSlut: Hopefully you should. If you don’t, how sad is it that you place so little value on your own life. I have met many young men with HIV that are finding that the anti-virals and other meds are not that easy to live with.
Seriously, you should think of counseling to find out why you are so self-destructive.
jason
HIV is not a gay disease, so get over it. As for anal sex, why would you have it? You can get basically the same feeling by folding your thighs.
Fitz
@jason: Your not doing it right, or there is something wrong with your equipment.
Queen Anne
This is ridiculous.
So, according to ‘research’ the only safe way to have sex is with a dry circumcised penis.
Boring!
Mike
I always suspected this was the case. I developed a sensitivity to silicon lube a while back. I’ve started using an all natural lube made from carrageenan. The brand is Ocean’s Natural… and it works great. Caragrageenan is made from seaweed and is a food additive that most of us eat every day anyway.
silan
anal sex is better sex.
Nat
@silan:
One year later…