Pioneering trial on alcohol consumption in older people

The University of León (ULE) participates in a “pioneer” clinical trial with people over 50 years of age in Europe that seeks to clarify, with the maximum scientific evidence, what is the best recommendation for people who consume alcohol: total abstinence or very moderate consumption and controlled.

It is about Unati (University of Navarra Alumni Trialist Initiative), a project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by doctor Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, which has the participation of the research group on Gene-Environment and Health Interactions (Giigas) of the ULE, led by professor Vicente Martin, which coordinates the participation of researchers from Castilla y León and Galicia.

Unati is a clinical trial in which participants are assigned to two intervention groups: one aimed at abstinence from alcohol consumption and another focused on progressive reduction and controlled consumption. Both groups have the support of a multidisciplinary team made up of doctors, nutritionists and psychology professionals, who offer personalized guidelines supported by technological tools.

The study evaluates through personalized monitoring the effect of these strategies on different health indicators, with the aim of generating solid evidence that allows health professionals to offer recommendations based on reliable scientific data, as informed to Europa Press in a statement by the ULE.

So far, nearly 7,000 people from all over Spain have joined the project and the first analyses, as detailed by Vicente Martín, show “promising” results, with a 30 percent average reduction in alcohol consumption among the participants, which reflects the positive impact of structured and continuous health support.

From the University of León, the Giigas group has already recruited 170 participants in Castilla y León and the northwest of the peninsula, actively contributing to a project that aspires to reach 10,000 volunteers throughout the country.

Search for volunteers

In this context, the ULE invites the university community to participate in this study, aimed at men between 50 and 70 years old and women between 55 and 75 years old who are not teetotalers and consume between 3 and 40 alcoholic drinks per week. Volunteers will be integrated into a high-level personalized health care program and will contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in a “key” area for public health.

With its participation in the Unati project, the University of León intends to reinforce its commitment to biomedical research with social impact, contributing to generating high-level scientific knowledge that allows improving public health recommendations and promoting healthier lifestyles based on solid evidence.

Those interested in participating as volunteers can access through this link https://medpreventiva.es/4nYpsd and mark the University of León as a reference center or contact us via email vmars@unileon.es to receive more information.