For people who smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day, the risk doubles. These are the findings of a study led by the Human Nutrition Unit at URV.
Smoking significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, drinking alcohol—even in small amounts—does not offer any protection against this disease, despite what some previous studies suggested. This has been confirmed by a new international study led by Indira Paz-Graniel, a researcher at the Human Nutrition Unit of Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), in collaboration with the Nutritional Epidemiology Research team from Université Sorbonne Paris Nord (France).
The research studied the combined effects of tobacco and alcohol on the development of type 2 diabetes, a topic that had not been explored much until now. The goal was to find out whether both habits, beyond their individual impact, could have a combined effect on the risk of getting the disease.
To do this, data from more than 110,000 participants in the NutriNet-Santé cohort—one of the largest public health studies in Europe—were used. Over an average follow-up of 7.5 years, 1,175 new cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed.
The results show that people who smoke or have smoked at some point have a 25% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who have never smoked. The risk is especially high for those who smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day, as they are twice as likely to develop the disease compared to light or moderate smokers.
The research team also found that low or moderate alcohol consumption was not linked to any protective effect against type 2 diabetes. These findings go against previous studies that suggested drinking one glass of wine a day—or the equivalent—could reduce the risk of developing the disease.
When the combined use of tobacco and alcohol was analyzed, no additional increase in risk was found. This suggests that, at least in the studied population, both habits do not act together to raise the risk of diabetes.
“We know that smoking is a clear risk factor, but we were surprised to see that alcohol alone did not change the risk of diabetes,” said Indira Paz-Graniel. However, she warned that the results should be interpreted with caution, since the NutriNet-Santé cohort is mostly made up of women with a high level of education and healthy lifestyles. “More studies in diverse populations are needed to better understand the interaction between alcohol and nicotine,” she added.
The study also included Professor Jordi Salas-Salvadó, director of the Human Nutrition Unit at URV, and Professor Nancy Babio. Both are members of CIBERobn and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), along with the lead researcher.
The results were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (August 2025) and presented at the International Congress of Nutrition organized by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS), recently held in Paris.
Reference: Paz-Graniel I, Kose J, Duquenne P, et al. Alcohol, smoking and their synergy as risk factors for incident Type 2 Diabetes. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2025 Jul 31:108011. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2025.108011
Seven researchers spoke about studies in health, energy and the environment, and their impact on everyday life. This Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, a science workshop fair will take place at Corsini Square in Tarragona, the main event of the Researchers’ Night
This Saturday, Racó de la Palma in Reus became a centre of scientific knowledge during the micro-talks “Research for Change”, a pre-event of the European Researchers’ Night attended by around eighty people. The event, organised by the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) with support from the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), brought together seven researchers from different local research centres who shared innovative advances in health, energy and environmental topics.
With a dynamic and informative format, each talk lasted ten minutes and explained, in a practical way, the results of scientific studies and how they affect people’s lives. For example, Cèlia Uroz, a researcher from URV, said that people ingest 20,000 microplastic particles per year, which is equal to one credit card per week, and spoke about their effects on the intestine. Marta Llorens, from the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ), explained how antibiotics work in the body and why it is important to take them carefully and follow the doctor’s instructions.
In the field of mental health, Elisabet Vilella, researcher at IISPV and the Pere Mata Institute, said that one in four people suffers from a mental health problem during their lifetime. She also talked about how mental health issues and psychiatric disorders can vary depending on age or gender.
The micro-talks highlighted the value of local research and its direct impact on daily life. There was also good interaction with the audience, who had the chance to ask questions to the researchers about the topics discussed.
The European Research Night events continue
These micro-talks were a prelude to European Research Night, an educational initiative centered around a science fair, which will take place on the afternoon of September 26 and the morning of September 27 in Tarragona’s Plaza Corsini, with the participation of more than 200 researchers from the URV and research institutes. Another preliminary activity is the family workshop “Much more than aesthetics,” on how obesity and diabetes affect the body, which will take place at the Viding Sant Jordi sports center in Tarragona.
It will also visit secondary schools in the Tarragona area through informative talks and will return once again to Terres de l’Ebre with a science workshop fair to be held on October 3 in Tortosa’s Town Hall Square.
European Research Night is a major educational event held simultaneously in more than 300 European cities with the aim of bringing science closer to the public. In the Tarragona area, the URV has been coordinating the event since 2018, with a program that attracts thousands of people every year.
European Research Night is supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program and the collaboration of a consortium of Catalan universities and public institutions. The full program can be found at tarragona.nitdelarecerca.cat.
With a kick-off in Oslo, today marks the start of CancerWatch, a new EU Joint Action that will transform how Europe collects, harmonizes, and uses cancer data. Coordinated by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and involving 92 partner organisations from 29 countries, CancerWatch will enhance the quality, comparability, and timeliness of data from population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) across Europe.
Accurate, complete, and up-to-date cancer data are essential for monitoring trends, identifying inequalities, and evaluating the impact of prevention, early detection, and treatment programmes, as well as Quality of Life and survival rates. CancerWatch will ensure that high-quality data are available to the European Cancer Information System (ECIS), which plays a central role in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the European Cancer Inequalities Registry.
Why it matters
At present, cancer data across Europe vary in quality, coverage, and timeliness. Some regions lack full registry coverage, while others face delays of more than two years before data can be shared. CancerWatch will:
A pan-European effort
CancerWatch unites national cancer registries, public health institutes, research organisations, and ministries of health in a coordinated effort to strengthen Europe’s cancer intelligence. The Joint Action will deliver new tools, shared methodologies, and a roadmap for future cancer indicators, while also identifying opportunities to expand registry coverage into currently uncovered regions.
“By improving the quality and timeliness of Europe’s cancer data, CancerWatch will help ensure that policies and research are based on the best possible evidence – ultimately saving lives and enhancing quality of life for cancer survivors,” says Giske Ursin, Project Coordinator, Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
“Better data means better cancer control. With CancerWatch, we are building the foundations for more effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and equitable access to care across Europe,” adds Gijs Geleijnse, Scientific Coordinator, Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
Philippe Roux, Head of Unit for Cancer, health in all policies at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety emphasizes the importance of CancerWatch. “The European Cancer Inequalities Registry (ECIR) is a vital policy instrument that helps EU Member States identify inequalities in cancer prevention, care, and outcomes, and the areas that can be improved. I strongly encourage all countries and stakeholders to use it. At its core, the ECIR relies on high-quality, population-based cancer data. Through the CancerWatch Joint Action, we will strengthen this foundation and deliver timely insights to reduce cancer inequalities across Europe.”
Background
Population-based cancer registries have been the backbone of cancer surveillance in Europe for decades, enabling countries to track incidence, mortality, and survival. However, differences in legal frameworks, interoperability, and resources mean that data completeness and timeliness vary widely. CancerWatch builds on the work of the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR), the Joint Research Centre (JRC), and international partners such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), aligning efforts to deliver faster, more reliable insights.
About the project
For more information, visit: www.encr.eu/CancerWatch
The Clinical Research Unit (UIC) will allow clinical trials of medicines to be carried out on patients, from the most experimental phase to the final stage when their use is authorized
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, visited the facilities of the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), located in the Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus. The purpose of the visit was to learn about the development of the new Clinical Research Unit (UIC), a facility that will make it possible to carry out clinical trials with medicines on local patients in all phases—from phase 1, the most experimental, to phase 4, the final stage after which the medicine is approved for use. The CRU will occupy 500 m² and will be located inside the Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus. Its construction is supported by €4,300,000 in funding from the Carlos III Health Institute, the leading biomedical research organization under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
During the visit, the Secretary of State was accompanied by the Government’s Deputy Representative in Tarragona, Elisabet Romero; the Mayor of Reus, Sandra Guaita; the City Councillor for Economic Promotion and Knowledge, Josep Baiges; the President of the IISPV Governing Board and Director of Health Services in Tarragona, Marta Milà; and other members of the IISPV Governing Board. Juan Cruz Cigudosa emphasized that this is an important project that will become a reference point for clinical research in southern Catalonia. He also highlighted the importance of giving hospitals across the region access to this kind of infrastructure. In addition, he pointed out that “this is one of the highest-rated projects in a national funding call worth €45 million. This new unit has received almost 10% of the total budget available in that call, which was open to projects from all over Spain.”
The Mayor of Reus, Sandra Guaita, added that “the amount of funding provided by the State shows that this is a strong project that will have a direct impact on citizens, as it will allow more equal access to medicines—something that used to happen only in large cities.” In the same vein, the Director of IISPV, Joan Vendrell, explained that “this Clinical Research Unit will serve the entire province and benefit 850,000 people, from university hospitals to regional hospitals in different health areas.” He also said: “We would even like pharmacies to help share information about the studies being carried out, so that people can learn about them and, if they wish, take part.”
Since the funding was announced in early 2025, the tendering process for the construction work has already started, and part of the necessary equipment has been ordered. In terms of staff, six people have already joined IISPV to work directly with the CRU: two data managers, one administrative staff member, one radiology technician, and two nurses. The unit is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.
The IISPV is organising the activity for Saturday 20 September at 12 p.m. at the Racó de la Palma in Reus, and it will be led by researchers from local research centres
On Saturday 20 September at 12 p.m., the Racó de la Palma in Reus will host the science microtalks, an activity included in the European Researchers’ Night. The goal is to bring scientific research closer to the public in a friendly, accessible and engaging way.
The event is organised by the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), in collaboration with the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) and other research centres in the region. Researchers from different fields will share, in 10-minute talks, the latest advances in health, sustainability, energy and well-being.
Topics will include the effects of microplastics on the intestine, the role of the Mediterranean diet during pregnancy, patient safety in critical situations, responsible use of antibiotics, psychiatric disorders, and key ideas for a fair and sustainable energy transition.
The speakers will be:
Celia Uroz Mas – Efectes dels microplàstics en el nostre intestí
Sergi Danés – Del sol al combustible: energia neta per a una societat sostenible
Sara Bernardo Castro – Dieta mediterrània durant l’embaràs: modelant el desenvolupament cerebral i psicològic dels fills
Ruth Tortosa Alted – La transferència de cures en malaltia crítica: un repte de seguretat del paciente
Marta Llorens Fons – Antibiòtics: manipula’ls amb cura!
Sergi Saladié Gil – Bases per a una transició energètica justa i sostenible
Elisabet Vilella Cuadrada – Trastorns psiquiàtrics: factors de risc i factors protectors
L’activitat s’adreça a un públic general, amb un format distès i accessible, i forma part del conjunt d’actes que el IISPV impulsa per fomentar la cultura científica i connectar la recerca amb la societat.
Around twenty researchers from the institute opened the biomedical research laboratories at the Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus to the public
On Tuesday, July 22nd in the morning, the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV) held the first of several commemorative activities to mark its 20th anniversary: an open day. Around twenty researchers from the institute welcomed members of the public into the biomedical research laboratories located at the Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus. The event included two sessions, which gathered nearly forty participants.
According to Lluís Gallart, director of the IISPV Biobank and head of platforms, “Visits like this help us show the work we do in the laboratories, which contributes to better diagnosis and treatment of diseases. These open days are also a way to recognize the work carried out over the past two decades by professionals dedicated to research through the IISPV, many of whom are also part of the Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Reus, Joan XXIII in Tarragona, Verge de la Cinta in Tortosa, Institut Pere Mata and Universitat Rovira i Virgili.”
During the visit, researchers presented some of the current research lines at the IISPV. The tour was divided into eight stations, each led by members of research groups and scientific support platform coordinators.
The agreement foresees the cooperation of the two institutions in the celebration of acts and events that promote healthy habits among citizens.
The Mayor of Reus, Sandra Guaita, and the Director of the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), Joan Vendrell, have signed a framework protocol to foster collaboration in the fields of healthcare, public health, and health promotion. The agreement emphasises early disease detection and the capacity for a swift and effective response to health emergencies. This is the first formal agreement between the two institutions and includes provisions for joint initiatives and projects to be developed across various departments of the Reus City Council and the IISPV. It also outlines cooperation in organising events aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among citizens.
In terms of knowledge transfer, the protocol supports the dissemination of scientific output generated by IISPV researchers, including clinical trials, patents, partnership agreements, and the creation of start-ups. It also promotes the organisation of specialised workshops and seminars focused on talent development and employment in the health sector, with the aim of equipping professionals with skills and knowledge aligned with the evolving demands of the labour market. Another key aspect of the agreement is the promotion of research addressing specific societal and industrial challenges, as well as the establishment of strategic alliances to lead transformative sectoral and regional projects, particularly through citizen science initiatives.
The framework protocol establishes a four-year collaboration period, with the possibility of annual extensions for up to an additional four years. It also allows for amendments or termination. A monitoring committee has been created to oversee the implementation of the agreement, ensure compliance, and facilitate the development of specific actions.
The signing of this protocol reaffirms the Reus City Council’s commitment to innovation, science, and technology—a commitment that was recognised last May when Reus was awarded the title of City of Science by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. In this regard, Mayor Guaita stated: “Science, research, and innovation must be at the heart of public policy as drivers of regional development. This is a key priority in our 2023–2027 Municipal Action Plan. Public administration must foster knowledge generation and management, professional training, and talent attraction, strategically rooted in the local context. This commitment can only be realised through active collaboration with the business community, scientific and academic institutions, and public authorities.
The signing of this protocol also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the IISPV, celebrated throughout 2025. According to the institute’s director, “It is vital to know that local institutions support us. Building strong ties with the region enables us to translate scientific knowledge into real solutions for patients and society. This is the core mission of our institute and the researchers who work through the IISPV”.
A diet rich in omega-3 foods during pregnancy has beneficial effects on the brain development of children and adolescents
The consumption of nuts during pregnancy, especially walnuts, benefits the neuropsychological development of children and adolescents, according to a study by the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), titled Maternal prenatal nut and seafood consumption and child neuropsychological function from 4 to 15 years of age: a population-based cohort study, and published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study, led by the Clinical and Epidemiological Neuroscience Research Group (NeuroÈpia) of the IISPV, includes contributions from Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation, and the California Walnut Commission, and is also included in the INMA project. This observational study focuses on the influence of maternal diet during gestation, a critical period for early brain development, and also highlights adolescence as another key stage when several brain regions continue to mature.
A sample of 1,737 mother-child pairs from four Spanish regions was studied: Asturias, Guipúzcoa (Basque Country), Sabadell (Catalonia) and Valencia. Maternal diet was analyzed using a food frequency questionnaire, while the children’s neuropsychological function was assessed through standardized tests measuring reaction time and variability (attention), working memory, and fluid intelligence.
The research took into account the consumption of fish—especially fatty fish—which, like walnuts, contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats have been shown to have a positive impact on the brain development of children and adolescents, according to the study’s findings. However, the researchers leading the project caution that fatty fish consumption should be approached carefully, and the recommended portions established by the WHO, via the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), should not be exceeded. Ariadna Pinar Martí, the study’s lead researcher, notes that high consumption of walnuts and fatty fish is associated with improvements in attention, working memory, and fluid intelligence. She adds that the omega-3 fatty acids present in these foods partially contribute to this relationship with neuropsychological development, particularly regarding attention.
Impact on risky decisions
The NeuroÈpia Research Group continues to investigate how maternal consumption of nuts and fish influences the brain development of offspring. They have also focused on the acquisition of more complex skills, such as risky decision-making in eleven-year-old children. In this regard, the article Maternal nut and fish consumption during pregnancy and child risky decision-making at 11 years old explores whether a maternal diet that includes these foods is associated with certain cognitive functions and behaviors, such as impulsivity. This study, led by researcher Marina Ruiz Rivera, has been published in the European Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It emphasizes that the consumption of nuts and fish during pregnancy may have an effect on complex brain functions, such as decision-making.
The final sample consisted of 1,386 preteenagers and their mothers, with 1,081 participants specifically assessed for decision-making. According to Ruiz Rivera, higher maternal consumption of nuts during the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with a lower score in risky decisions in eleven-year-old children. Moderate fish consumption was associated with a higher impulsivity index in children of this age. Therefore, this study “adds to the evidence on the importance of nutrition during pregnancy for complex neuropsychological functions”. The study also emphasizes that “the available data are limited to eleven years of age, a stage in which the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed”, and therefore “a definitive causal relationship cannot be established”.
Looking ahead to future research in the field of nutrition, the NeuroÈpia Research Group highlights the importance of incorporating neuroimaging techniques. Applied specifically to the cohort studied in the two projects, “it will open up new scenarios for novel measurements, represent an innovation in this field, and allow us to examine whether diet during pregnancy influences not only cognitive functions but also brain structure”, emphasizes Jordi Julvez, head of the research group behind the two studies.
Bibliographic reference of the first study:
Pinar-Martí A, Ayala-Aldana N, Ruiz-Rivera M, Lertxundi N, Subiza M, González-Safont L, Vioque J, Riaño-Galán I, Rodríguez-Dehli C, Iglesias-Vázquez L, Arija V, Fernández-Barrés S, Romaguera D, Pascual-Rubio V, Fabregat-Sanjuan A, Healy D, Basagaña X, Vrijheid M, Guxens M, Foraster M, Julvez J. Maternal prenatal nut and seafood consumption and child neuropsychological function from 4 to 15 years of age: a population-based cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 May 5:S0002-9165(25)00249-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.04.032. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40334748.
Bibliographic reference of the second study:
Ruiz-Rivera M, Pinar-Martí A, Babarro I, Ibarluzea J, Vioque J, Llop S, Fernández-Somoano A, Tardón A, Pascual-Vicente R, Fabregat-Sanjuan A, Fernández-Barrés S, Romaguera D, Guxens M, Julvez J. Maternal nut and fish consumption during pregnancy and child risky decision-making at 11 years old. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 10. doi: 10.1007/s00787-025-02750-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40493090.
Reus, January 22, 2025. The province of Tarragona will take a step forward in carrying out clinical trials of cutting-edge drugs thanks to the construction, this year, of a Clinical Research Unit (UIC). This facility, which will occupy a space of 500 m2, has received a grant of 4,312,240 euros from the Carlos III Health Institute (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) and will be located at the Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus. This new UIC has been promoted by the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) together with the Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus, and has had the collaboration of all the health institutions in the territory, the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and local bodies such as the Reus City Council.
It is in a clinical trial when a medicine begins to be administered to a patient, in order to be marketed with all the guarantees. It goes through 4 processes before it is released on the market: from phase 1, which is the most experimental (in which a patient participating in this trial is treated for the first time with this drug) to phases 2, 3 and 4, which are more advanced and in which aspects such as effectiveness or the suitability of the dose are looked at, to finally end up authorizing its distribution and clinical application.
Currently, clinical trials in phase 1 are only carried out in research centers linked to large hospital structures, located mostly in the Barcelona area. The creation of this UIC will make it possible for this type of study to also be carried out in our territory: “We were already carrying out studies in phases 2, 3 and 4, but, from now on, this UIC will provide us with more infrastructure and resources to carry out clinical trials in phase 1. The expansion of resources (both human and those allocated to space) will help healthcare professionals attract more trials from the other phases; it will allow us to carry out a trial in all its stages, in short, from the most initial to the last, and it will favor the population of our territory to have access to therapies that are only carried out within the framework of a controlled study, bringing them closer to more experimental and innovative drugs”, explains Dr. Joan Vendrell, director of the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV). He adds: “This will be especially relevant for patients with cancer, as it will allow therapies that have so far been limited exclusively to controlled trial settings to be brought closer. This initiative represents a step forward in reducing the current gap in access to this type of study, thus improving treatment opportunities for these patients.”
The director of the IISPV, Dr. Joan Vendrell, explains that “with a population of over 800,000 inhabitants, our territory has a potential that exceeds that of other regions with research centres concentrated in large hospital environments. Despite this reality, the current distribution of clinical trials means that access to these trials/studies is still insufficient for our population. The creation of the unit can not only help to reverse this situation, but will also allow research resources to be brought closer to professionals and patients, improving access to innovative therapies.”
For his part, Dr. Anton Benet, manager of Salut Sant Joan Reus-Baix Camp, highlighted “the factor of attraction and retention of talent” that having this facility at the hospital will mean. “The Clinical Research Unit will reinforce our university character, of research and innovation, and will provide value to society and professionals in the generation of knowledge”, he added.
The Universitat Rovira i Virgili very positively assesses the launch of this unit, which “allows us to promote scientific interconnection with the IISPV and promote institutional collaboration with entities in the territory to address a social challenge as important as health, one of the priority research areas of the Strategic Plan for Research and Innovation that we have just approved”, explains Marina Galià, Vice-Rector for Research at the URV. “Having modern and well-equipped spaces, with the appropriate infrastructure and the necessary personnel should allow us to consolidate new priority areas of research and develop research, innovation and transfer projects that have a high social impact on the territory”, he emphasizes.
For his part, Enrique Martín, Councilor for Health and Sports of the Reus City Council, declares: “the city council and the institute have been collaborating for some time to consolidate a leading position of the city in terms of health research, and that this directly or indirectly results in an improvement of services to the citizens. The presence of research infrastructures for the advancement in the treatment of diseases is important for this territory and, even more, I would like to emphasize that it helps us guarantee the equality of access to the population to trials and studies”.
This new UIC is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2026. It will also house a 3 Tesla high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance device to study in detail different parts of the body as well as aspects of the functioning of organs that require special technology, outside the routine healthcare use of these devices.
The UIC will have the complicity of the public health system in primary care (CAPs) by bringing the studies closer to patients through their family doctor. This will be possible thanks to a real-time interconnection between the consultations and the UIC through an IT deployment that links routine healthcare activity with the trials that are active within the territory.
About IISPV
The Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV) is the centre that manages health and biomedical research in the province of Tarragona and brings together the Joan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona, the Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus, the University Hospital Pere Mata Institute in Reus and the Verge de la Cinta University Hospital in Tortosa, as well as the Rovira i Virgili University. Since its creation in 2005, the institute has worked to ensure that biomedical research is translated into quality clinical practice for the benefit of patients and an improvement in the health of the population. More than 600 professionals, including researchers, technicians and staff in training, are part of the IISPV, which has 38 research groups divided into four strategic areas: the Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition area, with 16 research groups; the Infection, Immunity and Environment area, with a total of 10 groups; the Oncology area, with 6 more research groups; and the Neurosciences and Mental Health area, which includes 6 research groups.
IISPV researchers will also give talks on how nutrition and lifestyles contribute to improving our health.
Reus, Wednesday 9 October. The Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (IISPV) and the research it develops in the field of health will be present at the 52nd edition of ExproReus, which will be held from Thursday 10 October until Sunday 13, in the facilities of firaReus Events (Bellissens Avenue, 40, Reus). During the weekend, the IISPV will be offering different activities in the space Foodtech & Nutrition Hub, a meeting point for companies within Redessa that are dedicated to offering technology, innovation and nutrition services.
On the one hand, researchers from the IISPV will offer free health tests to citizens who pass by the IISPV counter located in the Hub space. Specifically, body composition analyses will be carried out, tests which, in a very simple way and with a scale very similar to those used in the home, are used to identify the distribution of body fat and define what percentage of our weight is fat and what is water.
On the other hand, the IISPV will offer the so-called glycosylated haemoglobin controls in capillary blood, analyses that serve to determine the average blood glucose levels over the last three months. These tests, which are carried out with a small prick of the finger, are used to diagnose pre-diabetes or diabetes. Both these tests and the body composition tests will be carried out on Saturday evening between 18:00 and 20:00.
IISPV research staff will also give talks on how nutrition and lifestyle contribute to improving well-being and health. In this regard, the following lectures will be given:
In addition, on Saturday 12th, at 17:30h, Dr. Joan Vendrell, director of the IISPV, will give a talk in which he will present the IISPV and the research activity it carries out. In this sense and in the field of nutrition, it should be noted that there are several studies led by the Institute with findings that are helping to improve the diagnosis and prevention of diseases with a high incidence in our society, such as obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease or mental disorders.
