A study published in the British Medical Journal, carried out by researchers in Spain, Cuba and the United States and led by Manuel Franco, from the National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), reveals that with the sustained loss of only five kilos of weight of On average across the entire population, mortality from coronary heart disease could be reduced by one third and deaths from diabetes by almost half. Deaths from cerebral infarction or stroke would also decrease, by a smaller percentage.
The conclusions of this work are based on theobservation of a very particular population for 30 years, a scenario “impossible to replicate in a clinical trial”, according to the scientist. Its aboutthe Cuban population, which experienced a moderate weight loss and a significant increase in physical exercise for at least four years (1991-1995), during a terrible economic crisis caused by the fall of the Soviet Union, which provided the Caribbean country – subject to an embargo by the US authorities – food and oil. Cubans became dependent on themselves to get around, due to the virtual cancellation of public and private means of transport, which meant a very significant increase (from 30% to 80%) in the percentage of the population with moderate levels of physical activity. At the same time, and in a gradual and sustained manner, the caloric intake per capita was considerably reduced (from 3,000 calories a day to 2,200). As a result, there was a general loss of weight that is estimated to be 5 kilos for a person of normal height.
The most interesting thing about the work is the comparison with subsequent years, when the crisis ended and Cubans gained weight again. In those years (between 1995 and 2010), the population increased its weight by an average of nine kilos and the prevalence of diabetes skyrocketed since 1997. In 1996, five years after the start of weight loss, a rapid decrease in weight began. mortality from diabetes that lasted six years. In 2002, these trends reversed and mortality from diabetes began an upward trend. Although the researchers expected that, once the population began to gain weight, mortality from coronary heart disease would increase again (which had decreased by 34% during the years 1996-2002), what happened was that death rates stabilized, that is, they stopped decreasing, but did not increase. “This contradicts the most ominous trends,” says Dr. Franco.
The author considers that there are several important lessons that can be drawn from this study for its application in Spain and other similar countries. “What we learn is thatwe must promote health in all, as a society; In order to have a strong impact, the interventions must not only be focused on the population at risk, but should also affect the entire population, they must be population-based strategies ”, he emphasizes. Dr. Franco adds thatit is about eating less and better and, above all, increasing our physical activity. “It is not a matter of some being thin or killing themselves in the gym, but rather that the entire population can eat in a balanced way and walk or ride a bike in their day-to-day life,” exemplifies the researcher. In this sense, Dr. Franco points to the promotion of policies where more active forms of transport are given priority than the use of the car.
The researchers explain that, after analyzing the data, it cannot be concluded that one of the three factors (lower caloric intake, weight loss and increased exercise) is more important than another in reducing cardiovascular mortality.
