Mediterranean Diet as a Shield against Male Infertility and Cancer Risk Induced by Environmental Pollutants: A Focus on Flavonoids

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 23; no. 3; p. 1568
• Main Authors: Montano, Luigi, Maugeri, Alessandro, Volpe, Maria Grazia, Micali, Salvatore, Mirone, Vincenzo, Mantovani, Alberto, Navarra, Michele, Piscopo, Marina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29-01-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Androgens; Animals; Antioxidants; cancer; Cryptorchidism; Diet; Diet, Mediterranean; Dioxins; Environmental conditions; Environmental Pollutants - toxicity; Environmental stress; Epigenetics; Fertility; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - chemistry; Flavonoids - pharmacology; Fruits; Heavy metals; Humans; Infertility; Infertility, Male - epidemiology; Infertility, Male - prevention & control; Male; male infertility; Males; Mediterranean diet; Neoplasms - epidemiology; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Outdoor air quality; Oxidative stress; PCB; Pesticides; Pollutants; pollution; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polyphenols; Prevention; Public health; Reproductive system; Review; Risk Factors; Sperm; Spermatogenesis; Testicular cancer; Tumors; Ultrafines; Vegetables; dioxins; bisphenols; Mediterranean diet; heavy metals; cancer; flavonoids; phthalates; pollution; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; male infertility
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031568

The role of environmental factors in influencing health status is well documented. Heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, pesticides, ultrafine particles, produced by human activities put a strain on the body's entire defense system. Therefore, together with public health measures, evidence-based individual resilience measures are necessary to mitigate cancer risk under environmental stress and to prevent reproductive dysfunction and non-communicable diseases; this is especially relevant for workers occupationally exposed to pollutants and/or populations residing in highly polluted areas. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high intake of fruits and vegetables rich in flavonoids, that can promote the elimination of pollutants in tissues and fluids and/or mitigate their effects through different mechanisms. In this review, we collected evidence from pre-clinical and clinical studies showing that the impairment of male fertility and gonadal development, as well as cancers of reproductive system, due to the exposure of organic and inorganic pollutants, may be counteracted by flavonoids.