The study was conducted on over 3,000 HIV-negative South African men, ages 18 to 24. Half of them were selected to be circumcised, while the other half remained uncircumcised.
After tracking them for one year, researchers found for every ten uncircumcised men who became infected with HIV, only an estimated three circumcised men contracted the virus.
These results are considered significant in paving the way for an effective way to further help prevent the spread of the disease.
The results have not been published in a medical journal, although the French researcher who headed the team is expected to present the findings at an International AIDS Society conference in Brazil, later this month.
This study contradicts previous ones linking circumcision with increased HIV infection.
