Authors:
V. Unfer, F. Facchinetti
Dear Editor,
The clinical use of Myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol is successfully increasing in several medical fields, going beyond gynecological and endocrinological applications.
Although the scientific prominence of these two inositols has been principally related to their role of second messengers of insulin, recent evidence highlighted their involvement in the steroidogenesis.
In particular, they seem to influence the androgen-to-estrogen ratio, suggesting that the proper use and combination of inositols should be further investigated in different clinical settings.
With such a specific aim, in March 2020 Professors Vittorio Unfer and Fabio Facchinetti established the Experts Group on Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research (EGOI), a scientific association of international experts in the physiology of inositols and their use in clinical practice (www.egoipcos.com).
Since its foundation, EGOI has grown beyond expectation, currently including 40 members from 14 Countries all over the world. Thanks to the collective endeavor, an increasing number of peer-reviewed publications contributed to put the role of EGOI at the forefront of the international research on Inositols (Table I).
In 2020, EGOI organized its first international webinar, with a total of 872 of effective participants from 72 Countries. On such occasion, EGOI presented its first scientific paper “Inositols in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Overview on the Advances”.
Given its rapid growing, EGOI is set to organize a series of dedicated conferences, which will be held every two years in those Countries where the members operate. These meetings represent unique opportunities to discuss arising evidence on inositol treatment in clinical practice and to clarify emerging issues.
Two major achievements attest the influence of EGOI in the international scientific scene:
- EGOI recently joined the Alliance for Health Promotion, a non-governmental organization affiliated with the World Health Organization, which aspires to improve human lifestyle and healthcare conditions worldwide;
- Members of EGOI were invited to attend the 11th DIP conference in Dubai, with a specifically dedicated section.
Overall, we are excited to report that the EGOI foundation was met with extreme interest by the international scientific and medical communities. Such recognition comes from the hard work and commitment of each and every individual EGOI member, and we look forward many other attainments in the next future.
