A URV-IISPV-CIBEROBN study warns that 80% of children’s products are not nutritionally adequate and should not be promoted
Most foods for children under three years of age marketed in Spain are of low nutritional quality and do not meet the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO). This is indicated by a study led by the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) together with the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) and the CIBER of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), which warns that these products should not be promoted for sale.
To carry out the study, which has been published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, more than 800 products were analyzed, including purees, dairy products, snacks and beverages. The research team detected repetitive nutritional problems in these foods, such as a high content of added sugars -often in the form of concentrated juices-, low caloric intake and low energy density. In addition, many of the product labels analyzed were the result of marketing strategies that were misleading because they showed confusing product names, such as “veal with carrots”, in cases where veal was a minority ingredient. They also found food packaging with messages such as “no added sugars” and even with unscientific health claims.
“Many of these products generate a false perception of quality, when in fact they are not suitable according to WHO for the healthy development of children,” warns Paulina Maria Leszczynska, first author of the study.
“No podemos permitir que los intereses comerciales prevalezcan sobre la salud infantil. Es imprescindible contar con una normativa clara, vinculante y basada en evidencias científicas que proteja a la población más pequeña”, advierte Nancy Babio, investigadora del Departamento de Bioquímica y Biotecnología de la URV e investigadora principal del proyecto.
Stopped regulation
Currently, food advertising in Spain is governed by the PAOS Code, a voluntary self-regulation system with no sanctioning mechanisms. In 2022 the Ministry of Consumer Affairs proposed a Royal Decree to regulate the advertising of food and beverages aimed at children, using the WHO criteria as a basis, but the processing of the text is still blocked pending approval by the Council of Ministers.
In view of these facts, the research team has called on the Government to approve without further delay the Royal Decree regulating the advertising of baby food and to prohibit the promotion of products that are not suitable for children under 3 years of age, especially those with excessive sugar or misleading claims.
The work has been carried out by the dietitian-nutritionist Paulina Maria Leszczyńska and the research team of the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the URV Sara de Heras-Delgado, Sangeetha Shyam, Jordi Salas-Salvadó and Nancy Babio, which is also part of the IISPV and CIBEROBN. The study has counted with Diane Threapleton and Janet Cade, from the University of Leeds, authors of the Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model Calculator tool, used to evaluate the nutritional and promotional performance of children’s products according to the WHO model.
Bibliographic Reference: Leszczyńska PM, de Las Heras-Delgado S, Shyam S, Threapleton D, Cade J, Salas-Salvadó J, Babio N. Nutricional contento y promocionar prácticas de foods para niños y jóvenes en el español mercado: en el cross-sectional product evaluation. Eur J Pediatr. 2025 May 10;184(6):333. doi: 10.1007/s00431-025-06156-y. PMID: 40347273; PMCID: PMC12065749.
The group has received a grant from the Catalan Society of Rheumatology and the objective is to work towards early detection and even more personalized treatments
Researchers from the Biomarkers of Disease and Molecular Mechanisms (DIBIOMEC) research group of the IISPV and the Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII de Tarragona are working to improve the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The task has received a grant from the Societat Catalana de Reumatologia and the aim is to work towards early detection and even more personalized treatments. The grant will allow the development of a clinical study focused on rheumatoid arthritis, a project led by Dr. Samantha Rodríguez and promoted by Dr. Matilde Rodríguez Chacón, PI of the research group.
The study will validate a panel of biomarkers previously identified by DIBIOMEC that could change the way autoimmune disease is diagnosed and treated. In fact, these have shown, in the eyes of the research team, great potential in detecting the disease in early stages and predicting the response to treatments.
By analyzing serum samples from patients at different stages of rheumatoid arthritis, the study aims to confirm the clinical utility of the biomarkers they are working with.
The DIBIOMEC group, with extensive experience in the study of biomarkers in inflammatory and oncological diseases, has international patents in the field of molecular diagnostics. With this new line of work, the group transfers its knowledge in the field of rheumatology, to shorten the time of diagnosis and improve the therapeutic approach to the disease from its earliest stages.
This Wednesday, June 11, World Prostate Cancer Day, the importance of ensuring early detection is highlighted. The IISPV conducts research to find more effective and less invasive ways to predict advanced stage tumors and treat them earlier
Prostate cancer is the most common tumor among men in the province of Tarragona. Each year approximately 670 new cases are diagnosed there, a figure that represents almost one in four male cancers. On the commemoration of World Prostate Cancer Day, this Wednesday, June 11, the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV) recalls the importance of ensuring early detection of this type of cancer. In this sense, the IISPV has several active lines of research to better understand prostate cancer and to find more effective and less invasive ways to predict the prognosis of tumors and treat them in advance. This is highlighted by Dr. Matilde Rodríguez Chacón, head of the Disease Biomarkers and Molecular Mechanisms research group (DIBIOMEC) of the IISPV at the Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII de Tarragona, to whom the Spanish Association Against Cancer has recently granted a grant to develop a project focused on creating a new predictive tool for aggressive prostate cancer.
The main lines of research open to the group are, on the one hand, to find a safer and more accurate prognosis through innovative biomarkers – in this case through a novel test in semen – and, on the other, to delve into the hidden role of the fat that surrounds the prostate, which can act as a source of energy for the tumor, favoring its growth and aggressiveness. “What is of concern is not so much the presence of this fat on its own, but when it is part of a context of obesity or overweight. This does not mean that a person with obesity will necessarily develop prostate cancer, but it does mean that, if he or she does develop it, it is more likely to be more aggressive,” explains Dr. Rodríguez Chacón. For this reason, “controlling weight and maintaining healthy habits is key to reducing risks and facilitating a better prognosis”.
A safer and more reliable prognosis
Since 2016, the research group has been working closely with the Urology Service of the Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona on the development of a test designed to detect the aggressiveness of prostate cancer by analyzing biomarkers in liquid semen biopsy, with an accuracy of 90.9% to classify the aggressiveness of the tumor and allow its early treatment. Since its inception, this test has advanced significantly. Initially, seven biomarkers were considered, but thanks to the evolution of the group’s research, it has been reduced to three without losing prognostic efficacy. In addition, an algorithm has been designed that allows the application of these determinations in semen of the biomarkers in the clinical setting, with the aim of facilitating prognosis and personalization of treatment in affected patients. Now, the challenge for the research group is to validate the test with a larger number of samples through multicenter studies, a “necessary step, among others, to consolidate its use in routine medical practice”.
This research aims to reduce unnecessary biopsies, using less invasive and more reliable methods to detect aggressive tumors, as well as to offer personalized strategies for patients with non-aggressive tumors that do not require immediate surgery.
According to data from the Asociación Española contra el Cáncer in 2024, more than 34,000 cases of prostate cancer have been diagnosed in Spain, of which 5,400 were in Catalonia and 616 in Tarragona. It is estimated that between 2024 and 2029 there will be close to 150,000 new cases in Spain, with a notable increase among men under 70 years of age. Only 40% of men between 50 and 65 years of age in the province undergo regular check-ups, and this figure improves among those over 65, reaching 55%, although, according to experts, it is still insufficient.
The possible reason for the increase in cases in younger men, under 70 years of age, could be multifactorial. According to Dr. Rodríguez Chacón, this could be due to changes in lifestyle, improvements in diagnosis and early detection programs that identify tumors in earlier stages and in younger patients, as well as to environmental factors and genetic predisposition.
These events were held in Oporto from May 27 to 30, 2025, and are considered a true meeting point for professionals in the health care field
Professionals from the Oncology, Translational, Epidemiological and Clinical Research Group (GIOTEC) of the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili and the Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, have participated in the 49th Congress of the Group of Cancer Epidemiology and Registration in Latin Language Countries (GRELL) and the congress Oporto (Portugal) from 27 to 30 May 2025.
The GRELL congress is the international meeting point for professionals of Latin Language Cancer Registries where results and experiences in Cancer Epidemiology are shared. This year, the GRELL congress was held jointly with the ENCR congress, in which the European Cancer Registries participated, allowing the exchange of experiences, work, knowledge and future projects by professionals from Europe and Latin America.
The doctors of the University Hospital Sant Joan de Reus Jaume Galceran and Marià Carulla, with the biomedical Clàudia Pla, the statistician Alberto Ameijide and the nurse Araceli Jiménez presented two oral communications, which were related to the methodology of cancer estimates in Spain, on the time to cure in how they dealt with cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, bone cancer and triple negative breast cancer.
The event, which rewards notoriety and excellence, will hold its awards ceremony on June 12 at the Gaudí Auditorium of Tecnoparc firaReus
The lnstitut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV) will be the beneficiary of the Premis Gaudí Gresol a la Notorietat i l’Excel·lència this year 2025, coinciding with 20 years of work in the field of biomedical research. The competition, which celebrates its 18th edition this year, will award the prizes on June 12 (7 p.m.) at the Gaudí auditorium of the firaReus complex.
The awards presentation ceremony, held on Wednesday, June 4 at the Ajuntament de Reus, was attended by the president of the Gresol Foundation, Emili Correig, the mayor of Reus, Sandra Guaita, the councilman of Empresa, Formació i Ocupació, Òscar Subirats and the general director of the Gresol Foundation, Robert Moragues.
The awards highlight the professional and personal careers, merits, worth and dedication of renowned entities and personalities, both in Catalonia and throughout Spain. The winners in this 18th edition are: in the category of Business Leadership, PortAventura World; in Technology, Andreu Veà; in Architecture, Ramon Espel; in Environment, Grupo Meliá; in Innovation, Andreu Rodríguez; in Gastronomy, Fran López; in Social Action, LaLiga Genuine; in Television, Olalla Moreno; in Fine Arts, Lorenzo Caprile; and, in Sports, Jordi Cervera.
Among the winners in past editions, there are personalities such as Pau Gasol, Valentí Fuster, Luis del Olmo, Ferran Adrià, Juan A. Samaranch, Isidre Fainé, Carles Sentís, Eduard Punset, Antoni Brufau, Mercè Sampietro, Joan Roca, Carme Ruscalleda, Anna Ferrer, Maribel Verdú, Elena Arzak, Josep M. Pou, Marc Márquez, Jordi Cruz, Gemma Mengual, Joan Pera, Manel Fuentes, Josep M. Mainat, M. De la Pau Janer, María Blasco, Jordi Basté, Marina Rossell, Tricicle, Susanna Griso or Juan Carlos Unzué among others.
This Saturday, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day and calls for preventive, educational and legislative measures to protect the health of children, reducing exposure to the toxic substances in smoke that persist once smoking is over.
The Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV) continues its research on the effects produced by the toxic substances in tobacco, especially in children. On the occasion of the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, Noelia Ramírez, researcher at the IISPV and member of the research group in Pediatrics, Nutrition and Human Development (PEDINUR) of the University Rovira i Virgili (URV) and the IISPV, presented the latest results of her studies on the consequences of residual smoke.
Ramírez stresses that it is essential to be aware of the harmful effects that exist when exposed to nicotine, especially in the case of children under 5 years of age. In this sense, he explains that the so-called third-hand smoke is especially dangerous for the youngest children and is usually underestimated by parents and public authorities. The fact is that “this route of exposure is still not sufficiently well known. The toxic substances that make up this residual smoke also remain on objects and furniture surfaces, as well as the skin, mouth, lungs and clothing”. Ramírez stresses that, on world days like this one, it is important to protect the health of the population, especially children, with preventive measures, as well as educational and legislative measures.
Although anti-smoking policies have reduced exposure to smoke in public spaces, Ramirez says, many children are still exposed at home and outdoors.
Mayor riesgo de enfermedades respiratorias El impacto de este tipo de humo se traduce, en el caso de los más vulnerables, como los niños y niñas, en alteraciones del crecimiento, en un mayor riesgo de enfermedades respiratorias, malformaciones congénitas no cromosómicas (en caso de una exposición en la gestación) y caries dentales y enfermedades como otitis recurrentes.
El humo residual persiste, reacciona con otras sustancias del ambiente y cuesta eliminarlo, puesto que las sustancias tóxicas, como se apuntaba, resisten una limpieza superficial, como la ventilación, y también quedan partículas en movimiento, dependiendo de las temperaturas o flujos de ventilación. Además, cuando interactúan con una persona ésta también puede repartir en otros rincones estas sustancias.
Algunos de los consejos preventivos para evitar la presencia prolongada del humo de tercera mano son, entre otros, limitar los espacios donde se fuma, limpiar a fondo donde se haga -teniendo en cuenta materiales como alfombras y cortinas- y llevar en el caso de los fumadores, especialmente si tienen contacto con los más pequeños, una limpieza profunda y cuidadosa de manos, boca y ropa.
The intervention will take place on June 4 at 7.30 p.m. at Pavelló dels Distingits of the Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata and can also be followed online.
The Filial de Reus de l’Acadèmia de Ciències Mèdiques de Catalunya i Balears organizes, for next Wednesday June 4 at 19.30 pm in the Pavelló dels Distingits of the Hospital Universitari Institut Pere Mata, a talk entitled Eating disorders and addictive behaviors, which will be given by Dr. Fernando Fernandez Aranda, head of section and director of the Unitat de Trastorns Alimentaris i Servei de Psicologia of the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge IDIBELL, also professor at the Universitat de Barcelona, Fernando Fernández Aranda. He is also in ICREA Acadèmia and deputy director of CIBERobn.
The intervention can also be followed online (link also available in the QR code on the informative poster). The activity is supported by HU Institut Pere Mata, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili and Hospital Universitari Sant Joaan de Reus i Baix Camp.
ICS and AQuAS organize a session on June 2 to prepare candidates for the research career awards with innovative tools for personal presentation.
The Institut Català de la Salut (ICS) and the Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQuAS) are organizing a training session on narrative CVs, to be held next Monday, June 2, from 3 to 5 pm, in which attendees will become familiar with what a narrative CV is and the main differences with the traditional one, being able to analyze experiences of using the narrative CV in different evaluation processes and develop the necessary skills to write the CV in a narrative way.
The training is mainly aimed at those people who want to apply for the Premis a la Trajectòria Investigadora, which rewards those who have contributed to the development of ICS research. Registration is now open, with a form to fill in, and places are limited.
The AQuAS Research team has prepared an infographic on how to write a health impact narrative, with the basic information to prepare the application for the Research Career Achievement Awards.
For two days, international experts have analyzed the comprehensive capacity of the center to achieve European standard
A team of six auditors from the Organization of European cancer Institutes (OECI) and the coordinator of the OECI program of our center have carried out the face-to-face audit of the accreditation process of the Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus and the IISPV to be recognized as a European Cancer Center. For two days, Thursday, 15 and Friday, May 16, external auditors of different nationalities and professional profiles have participated in an exhaustive program of presentations, interviews and visits aimed at specific teams and people throughout the center. Once the evaluation was completed, Brend Kremer, responsible for the audit team, presented the preliminary results and noted the strengths of the institution as well as the opportunities for improvement, and announced that the most exhaustive report of the process would be known in October. El Kremer also thanked the good reception that the entire team of auditors had received, as well as the involvement of all the professionals who have participated in this process, which addresses aspects such as attendance, research, teaching, innovation or training.
Two years of work
The different work teams of the Hospital management, together with teams from the Institute of Oncology of Southern Catalonia (IOCS) and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute, have been working for two years in a previous phase of documentation collection, which has allowed to pass the first stage of accreditation, which is focused on self-evaluation. Subsequently, the second stage of accreditation began, which has culminated in face-to-face auditing.
However, this is not yet the final point, but involves designing an improvement plan in which the Hospital has already begun to work and which must be drafted in December 2025. From then on, with all the information received and what is required of us, the highest-ranking accreditation and designation committee of the ICAO will give the final report in February 2026. One year after obtaining the certificate, the center must submit a written report with the progress of the objectives, actions and the schedule established in the improvement plan. It is not until after five years that a reaccreditation takes place.
The OECI is the most prestigious organisation that carries out this accreditation and is currently made up of more than 100 centres throughout Europe.
Scientists from around the world will gather to discuss the liver sinusoid, a specialized type of blood capillary found in the liver, and its role in ageing, regeneration, and disease
From May 23 to 26, 2026, Tarragona will welcome researchers and professionals specializing in liver sinusoidal biology. Under the theme of understanding the crucial role of the liver sinusoid in hepatic function, disease progression, ageing, and tissue regeneration, The Liver Sinusoid Meeting 2026 will mark the 23rd edition of this prestigious event. It will also coincide with the 50th anniversary of its organizing body, the International Society for Hepatic Sinusoidal Research (ISHSR). This scientific meeting aims to explore the complexity of liver microcirculation, immune regulation, and cellular interactions within the sinusoidal space. The program will highlight the latest advances in sinusoidal endothelial cell biology, liver immunology, fibrosis, and innovative therapeutic approaches.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from a distinguished group of international experts who will lead discussions on current challenges and future directions in liver sinusoid research. In addition to scientific sessions, the congress will feature a cultural program, including guided tours of Tarragona’s Roman heritage sites.
Registration and Abstract Submission
The Liver Sinusoid Meeting 2026 opens its registration period from October 1 to December 31, both days this year 2025. The congress is also open to a call for research and there is time to present it until December 31, 2025.
Among those present in the organizational committee, is the head of the area of Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition of Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Sonia Fernández-Veledo, also responsible for the research group in ‘Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases’ (DIAMET).
The scientific meeting receives the institutional support of: Departament de Recerca i Universitats de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Patronat Municipal de Turisme de Tarragona, Ajuntament de Tarragona, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas and Instituto de Salud Carlos III.
