Diet and nutrition are fundamental in maintaining the general health of populations, including women’s health. Health status can be affected by nutrient deficiency and vice versa. Gene–nutrient interactions are important contributors to health management and disease prevention. Nutrition can alter gene expression, as well as the susceptibility to diseases, including cancer, through several mechanisms. Gynecological diseases in general are diseases involving the female reproductive system and include benign and malignant tumors, infections, and endocrine diseases. Benign diseases such as uterine fibroids and endometriosis are common, with a negative impact on women’s quality of life, while malignant tumors are among the most common cause of death in the recent years. In this comprehensive review article, a bibliographic search was performed for retrieving information about nutrients and how their deficiencies can be associated with gynecological diseases, namely polycystic ovary syndrome, infertility, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, and infections, as well as cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. Moreover, we discussed the potential beneficial impact of promising natural compounds and dietary supplements on alleviating these significant diseases.

Background: Breast cancer mortality in European women has been falling for three decades. We analysed trends in mortality from breast cancer in Europe over the period 1980 e2017 and predicted number of deaths and rates to 2025. Methods: We extracted death certification data for breast cancer in women for 35 European countries, between 1980 and 2017, from the World Health Organisation database. We computed the age-standardised (world standard population) mortality rates per 100,000 person-years, by country and calendar year. We obtained also predictions for 2025 using a joinpoint regression model and calculated the number of avoided deaths over the period 1994e2025. Results: The mortality rate declined from 15.0 in 2012 to 14.4 in 2017 per 100,000 women (À3.9%) for the European Union (EU)-27. This fall was greater in the EU-14 (À5.2%), whereas rates rose in the transitional countries during this period by 1.9%. Mortality rate predictions across Europe are expected to reach relatively uniform levels in 2025. During the studied period, favourable trends in mortality emerged in most countries, with the greatest decrease in Denmark, whereas Poland and Romania showed an upward trend. The largest predicted decrease in breast cancer mortality was estimated for the United Kingdom (12.2/100,000 women in 2025), leading to the estimated avoidance of 150,000 breast cancer deaths over the period 1994e2025 and 470,000 in the EU-27.

Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common tumors of the female genital tract. The effect of UFs on the quality of life and the overall cost of treatment are significant issues worldwide. Tumor size and location are the two specific factors which influence the occurrence of symptoms, the need for, and method of, treatment (some tumors require surgery while some can be treated with selected drugs). Primary prevention and treatment of early UF disease are worthy goals that might have a great impact on health care systems. Several treatments and prophylactic methods can be used in this endeavor. This publication presents current data about lesser-known substances which may have a beneficial effect on the treatment or prophylaxis of UFs and can be administered orally, serving as an alternative to (or complement of) surgery or selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRMs). Early prevention and treatment of UFs in women from high-risk groups should be our priority. Innovative forms of UF management are under intensive investigation and may be promising options in the near future. Many of them evaluated vitamin D, paricalcitol, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), elagolix, aromatase inhibitors (AIs), and cabergoline and deemed them to be safe and effective. The next step in such projects should be properly constructed randomized control trials (RCTs), carried out by successive phases.

Uterine fibroids (UFs) are one of the most common pathologies of the female genital tract. The incidence of UFs has been estimated at 25–80%. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a cell-signaling protein involved in systemic inflammation and is one of the cytokines responsible for the acute phase reaction. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of clinically symptomatic UFs on TNF-α serum levels. A total of 149 Caucasian women were included: 85 patients admitted for surgery due to clinically symptomatic UFs (n = 85; study group) and 64 age-matched UF-free controls (n = 64). TNF-α serum concentrations between the groups were compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also used as a statistical model to evaluate TNF-α as a marker for UFs. Mean TNF-α serum concentration in the study group was 0.34 ± 0.14 pg/mL; (in half of the subjects, the level did not exceed 0.39 pg/mL. Mean TNF-α serum concentration in the control group was 0.17 ± 0.09 pg/mL; in half of the subjects, the level did not exceed 0.14 pg/mL. The difference was statistically significant. Using the area under the ROC curve, we found that TNF-α serum concentration of 0.34 pg/mL can be used as a predictor for UFs in selected populations. In our study, we confirmed higher TNF-α serum concentrations in women with clinically symptomatic UFs.

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