When I saw mention of people living as residents of Spain being eligible for free wine, I thought to myself, I know plenty of people who fit the bill.
This is an eye-catching headline, but there is a serious message and opportunity here. Please read to the end.
A major clinical trial taking part here in sunny Spain is offering adults aged 50 to 75 the chance to help answer a long-debated question: is moderate alcohol consumption good or bad for you? This is being conducted within the The University of Navarra, who are conducting the research.
The study, called UNATI (University of Navarra Alumni Trialist Initiative), is following 10,000 participants over four years. Funded by the European Research Council, it is the largest randomized controlled trial ever conducted on this topic. The researchers hope to provide clear and reliable evidence that goes beyond the limitations of past observational studies.
Today, there is much confusion about the health effects of alcohol consumption. While some recommendations state that “there is no safe level of consumption,” other programs of study suggest that moderate drinking may even be associated with lower mortality compared to no drinking at all. However, many of these programs of study have limitations, the most important of which is that they are not randomized trials. This may influence their results and create confusion about whether drinking is healthy or not.
To answer this controversy more clearly, the UNATI study (University of Navarra Alumni Trialist Initiative), a randomized clinicalessay that will follow for 4 years about 10,000 people (men aged 50 to 70 and women aged 55 to 75) who drink between 3 and 40 drinks per week.
Participants will be randomly divided into two groups. Throughout those 4 years, they will receive annual medical check-ups and continuous counseling by a health professional (4 times a year) according to one of these guidelines:
- Reduce alcohol consumption.
- Consume in moderation: less than 7 drinks per week in women and less than 14 in men, avoiding excesses, prioritizing red wine, only with meals and spread throughout the week.
Study Objective
To assess how alcohol consumption influences the development a range of serious health problems, such as mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, cirrhosis, subject 2 diabetes, depression, dementia, serious injuries or infections requiring hospitalization.
This study could provide for the first time a clear answer based on solid scientific evidence to a core topic for public health: what is really the impact of moderate alcohol consumption?
How To Apply For The Free Wine ( Ooooops I Mean Take part In The Study )
On a serious note, this is a health related university research being run by the The University of Navarra.
Registration for participants in the UNATI trial.
To drink or not to drink?
Your experience can help answer this question scientifically.
The UNATI study seeks to provide scientific evidence to determine whether moderate alcohol consumption
is beneficial, neutral, or harmful to health.
If you are a man between 50 and 70 years old or a woman between 55 and 75 years old, and you consume between 3 and 40 alcoholic drinks per week, you can participate.
What does it entail?
● 4-year follow-up ● Annual
medical check-up ● Health habit counseling 4 times a year ● All free of charge and with complete confidentiality. Your participation will help clarify one of the biggest debates in public health. Fill out the form and join the study.
This is the form for you to apply, it is a Google Doc form which is straightforward to complete.
If it opens in Spanish, and you are using Chrome on Windows on a computer, right click on your mouse and click on Translate To English.
Final Thoughts On This
Please only apply if you meet the criteria, can fully take part and help the study. Although I said this was all about ‘ free wine’ it’s actually university research into wine and drinking habits.
Links For Further Information.
The Principal entity: University of Navarra webpage.
The UNATI study (University of Navarra Alumni Trialist Initiative) webpage.
Here is the Registration Form in case you missed it earlier.
