Experts in obesity research converge its lines of work to patients and their families at a meeting in Córdoba

Córdoba, January 2012.- Cordoba hosts 30 January a meeting intended to citizenship which will gather experts in obesity that detailing the main lines of research currently being developed within the scope of this pathology. The meeting, the first of this Edition, held in the Auditorium of the University Hospital Reina Sofía at 1360 hours.

It’s a day promoted by the Health Department of the Board of Andalusia and framed in the so-called awareness meetings, whose aim is to create a space for the analysis and discussion of the different research projects in health are being developed and the results could improve diagnosis and treatment of certain pathologiesin this case of obesity. Ultimately what is closer to the citizenry, especially to the associations of patients and their families, the current state of research in this pathology. On this occasion, the motto of the meeting is ‘ research in obesity, of nearby ’.

This activity will involve various subject matter experts, such is the case of the Director of the Andalusian Plan of child obesity, Begoña Gil, who will address the current prospects are handled in the field of childhood in Andalusia obesity and measures put in place to try to eradicate the high rate of overweight children.

Also will meet the optional of molecular genetics in the genetics unit of the University Hospital complex of Badajoz, Raquel Rodriguez, who explain to attendees the links between genetics and obesity, with particular emphasis on the risk of heritability of this pathology and its early onset in childhood; the scientific director of the Maimonides Institute for research in biomedicine in Córdoba and head of the research group of Nutrigenomics and metabolic syndrome of CIBERobn, Francisco Pérez Jiménez, who will speak of the line led by his group and research focused on demonstrating what is most beneficial to those diet people with metabolic syndrome, a problem generated by the increase in fat in visceral tissue associated with hypertension, diabetes, oxidative stress and inflammation; and finally, the director of the laboratory of nutrition and genetics of Tufts University (Boston), José María Ordovás, which will address key ideas of some of its lines of research, such as the role of food in the health of citizensthe susceptibility of the organism to meet new nutritional habits and the relationship between genes and the changes in metabolism.

The event will feature the presence of the Deputy Director of health promotion and participation of the Ministry of health of the Junta de Andalucía, Cristina Torró García-Morato, who will be in charge of moderating the discussion which will take place at the end of the presentations.

This event is free and interested parties can register on the website: http://www.espaciosaludinvestiga.es/conciencia where the complete programme and information of the professional trajectory of the rapporteurs is available.

Bringing research to the public

The awareness meetings, framed in the so-called space health investigates and organised by the Andalusian progress public foundation and health, central body of support and management research in the public health system of Andalucía, saw the light in 2010 with three sessions on diabetesheart disease and oncologías with a great success of participation, that is why last year held five meetings more on other diseases such as HIV, Alzheimer’s disease, rare diseases, fibromyalgia and sclerosis responding well the demand for citizenship. In fact, more than 300 patients between patients and their families gathered in one of these sessions.

The objective of this Conference’s itinerant nature is, in short, move to patients the results of scientific practice being developed not only in Andalusia, but at the national level on certain diseases and make them partakers of advances in the field of research.

In addition to this informative action spaces health research initiative regards other targeted actions spread activity develops in the area of health research and which are intended both to citizens and health professionals. Stand out, among others, the meetings at the frontier of research in health, the children’s laboratories in advanced therapies, the investigates health days, etc.