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  • 21/07/2021 - Press release

    Having higher levels of omega-3 acids in the blood increases life expectancy by almost five years

    Levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood are as good a predictor of mortality from any cause as smoking, according to a study involving the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), in collaboration with The Fatty Acid Research Institute in the United States and several universities in the United States and Canada. The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, used data from a long-term study group, the Framingham Offspring Cohort, which has been monitoring residents of this Massachusetts town, in the United States, since 1971. Researchers have found that omega-3 levels in blood erythrocytes (the so-called red blood cells) are very good mortality risk predictors. 

    Més informació "Having higher levels of omega-3 acids in the blood increases life expectancy by almost five years"

  • 22/06/2021 - Press release

    More than 6% of Europeans suffer from depression

    6.4% of the European population suffers from depression, according to a study published in The Lancet Public Health. The work was led by researchers from King's College London, the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), the Parc de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu-Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of León (IBIOMED), and the CIBER on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). This figure is higher than that estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which calculated the prevalence of this pathology in the European region at 4.2%. Depression is considered to be one of the leading causes of disability around the world, increasing the risk of premature death, decreasing quality of life and being a heavy burden on health systems. In fact, it is estimated that it may affect more than 300 million people worldwide.

    Més informació "More than 6% of Europeans suffer from depression"

  • 08/04/2021 - Press release

    Model developed for predicting long-term breast cancer risk in women participating in screening programmes

    Doctors and researchers at Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) have developed and validated a new risk model for breast cancer screening, based on four variables. This is the first time that it has been possible to predict the risk of developing this pathology in the long term, up to twenty years. The study, which has just been published in the journal PLOS ONE, examined data from almost 122,000 women who received a screening mammogram at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau between 1995 and 2015. This study is a continuation of the population-based breast cancer screening research led by Dr. Xavier Castells, head of the Epidemiology and Evaluation Service at Hospital del Mar.

    Més informació "Model developed for predicting long-term breast cancer risk in women participating in screening programmes"

  • 09/03/2021 - Press release

    The benefits of the Mediterranean diet pass on to the families of patients who follow it

    People living with a patient undergoing an intensive weight loss treatment also benefit from this therapy. This has been demonstrated by a team of researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar) along with doctors from Hospital del Mar and the CIBER on the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn), in collaboration with IDIAPJGol, the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), IDIBELL, IDIBAPS and the Sant Joan de Reus University Hospital. The study has been published in the journal International Journal of Obesity. The study analysed data from 148 family members of patients included in the weight loss and lifestyle programme PREDIMED-Plus (PREVencióDIetaMEDiterranea Plus) over a two-year period. The researchers analysed whether these people also indirectly benefited from the programme, as they were not enrolled in the study and did not receive any direct treatment.

    Més informació "The benefits of the Mediterranean diet pass on to the families of patients who follow it"

  • 26/02/2021 - Press release

    Not all “good” cholesterol is healthy

    HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) or good cholesterol is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease as it transports cholesterol deposited in the arteries to the liver to be eliminated. This contrasts with the so-called bad cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), which causes cholesterol to accumulate in the arteries and increases cardiovascular risk. Although drugs that lower bad cholesterol reduce cardiovascular risk, those that raise good cholesterol have not proven effective in reducing the risk of heart disease. This paradox has called into question the relationship between good cholesterol and cardiovascular risk, and researchers are now studying the characteristics of these HDL or good cholesterol particles. 

    Més informació "Not all “good” cholesterol is healthy"

  • 29/12/2020 - Press release

    High triglyceride and remnant cholesterol levels increase cardiovascular disease risk in high-risk patients

    A study that has just been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that high levels of triglycerides (the most common type of fat in the body), as well as those of remnant cholesterol (in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins), increase the risk of suffering cardiovascular disease in high-risk patients, even if they take the usual treatment to control blood cholesterol levels. The work is authored by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona-IDIBAPS, and the CIBER on the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn). 

    Més informació "High triglyceride and remnant cholesterol levels increase cardiovascular disease risk in high-risk patients"

  • 08/10/2020 - Press release

    Following physical activity recommendations can reduce mortality risk by 16%

    Doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (fast walking or dancing, for example) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (running or other sports) a week, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), reduces your mortality risk by 16%. At the same time, cardiovascular mortality risk drops by 27% and cardiovascular event risk falls by 12%. This is highlighted in a study published by the Revista Española de Cardiología led by doctors from Hospital del Mar and researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), the University of Vic-Central Catalonia (UVic- UCC), and the CIBERCV and CIBERESP. The work also reveals that doing three to five times more physical activity than the recommended amount maximises the benefit.

    Més informació "Following physical activity recommendations can reduce mortality risk by 16%"

  • 14/01/2020 - Press release

    Physical activity modifies the way our DNA works

    Physical activity is related to changes in the structure of our DNA but does not modify the sequence of letters in the genes, its primary structure, according to a study led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM). And by exercising in a moderate-vigorous way, i.e. walking briskly every day or doing sport for at least 30 minutes, we can maximise the benefits, This targets one of the key elements in the metabolism of triglycerides, which, in high concentrations, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. These DNA changes influence the way our genes are read and their expression level.

    Més informació "Physical activity modifies the way our DNA works"

  • 16/12/2019 - Press release

    Hospital costs estimated of occupational diseases not recognized by the Social Security

    A new study has estimated the exact, individualized cost of healthcare for patients being treated in hospital for an occupational disease not recognized by the Social Security. The study was conducted by researchers from the Center for Research in Occupational Health (CiSAL) at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and the Occupational Health Service at Hospital del Mar  As in other countries, Spain has two public health systems. On the one hand, the National Health Service, financed by taxes, covering all residents. On the other hand, the Social Security System is specific for occupational diseases, administered primarily by the mutual insurance companies that collaborate with the Social Security system, funded by contributions by employees and employers, which only offers protection to employees affiliated to the Social Security system.

    Més informació "Hospital costs estimated of occupational diseases not recognized by the Social Security"

  • 06/11/2019 - Press release

    Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution Linked to Brain Changes Associated with Behavioural Problems in Children

    Over the past few decades, various studies have investigated the impact of air pollution on cognitive capacities in children. However, very little research has been done on the changes that air pollution could induce in children's growing brains . A new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by "la Caixa", with the participation of Dr. Jesús Pujol, the research director of the Hospital del Mar Magnetic Resonance Unit and researcher at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) who carried out the magnetic resonance imaging studies, with the participation of Dr. Jesús Pujol, has found a link between air pollution and changes in the corpus callosum, a region of the brain associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study was carried out as a part of BREATHE, a project whose earlier findings suggest that air pollution has harmful effects on cognitive functions in schoolchildren and is also associated with functional changes in the brain.

    Més informació "Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution Linked to Brain Changes Associated with Behavioural Problems in Children"

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