Dr. Nina Gramunt, neuropsychologist and technical director of the Social area of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, participated on May 18 in the round table 'The importance of a healthy life in the prevention of diseases'. The event, organised by Ametller Origen in collaboration with Casa Seat, brought together professionals and experts from different fields around the debate on the impact of lifestyle on health and well-being. Gramunt spoke about the Alzheimer's disease risk factors and claimed the importance of healthy habits that contribute to brain health.
Maria Neira, director of the Department of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health of the World Health Organization, began the event by recalling that 71% of annual deaths worldwide are linked to chronic diseases, closely related to lifestyle. In this regard, Gramunt stressed the importance of habits such as a balanced diet, sport and avoiding tobacco and alcohol, which are essential for cardiovascular and brain health. “By controlling the modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's, we can modulate the non-modifiable factors, such as age and genetics.”, he explained.
The neuropsychologist cited studies recently developed at the Foundation's research center, the Barcelona βeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), on the link between the consumption of certain foods, such as blue fish, and greater brain resilience; and in relation to the dream and the risk of suffering from Alzheimer's. "We have evidence that shows that not having enough hours of restorative sleep favors the accumulation of amyloid protein, characteristic of Alzheimer's," he added. Gramunt also listed cognitive activity and socialization as key agents in maintaining brain health.
Finally, the technical director of the Social area of the Foundation called for incorporating healthy lifestyle habits into our routine and instilling them in children from a young age, aiming to consider them not a limitation but a step towards one's own well-being. “We have to be aware that leading a healthy life can bring us a lot of pleasure”, he concluded.
'The importance of a healthy life in the prevention of diseases'
The debate 'The importance of a healthy life in the prevention of diseases' was held at Casa Seat within the framework of Fem Cami Talks, a series of talks promoted by Ametller Origen on current issues related to sustainability and healthy eating.
The round table on 18 May was attended by, along with Dr. Nina Gramunt, Maria Neira, director of the Department of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health of the World Health Organization (WHO); Dr. Josep Tabernero, head of the Medical Oncology Service at the Vall de Hebrón Hospital in Barcelona, director of the Vall de Hebrón Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and head of the Molecular Cancer Therapy Research Unit (UITM); Dr. Eulàlia Vidal, a graduate in Pharmacy, master's degree in Human Nutrition and Food Quality and coordinator of the Nutrition and Health Advisory Board of Ametller Origen; and Steffi Mallebrien, author of the book 'My life with the bug: overcoming breast cancer'.
