Oenophiles and alcohol aficionados in Spain are being summoned to participate in an ambitious scientific endeavour that promises to illuminate the intricate relationship between moderate drinking and health outcomes.
Touted as the world’s largest clinical study on the subject, the University of Navarra Alumni Trialist Initiative (UNATI) aims to recruit a total of 10 000 individuals aged between 50 and 75 over the next four years.
The goal? To investigate the effects of daily wine, beer, or spirits consumption on critical health issues such as heart disease, cancer, mental health disorders, and overall mortality rates.
Under the auspices of a generous €2.4 million grant from the European Research Council, the initiative is spearheaded by Professor Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, a pre-eminent expert in the Mediterranean diet and Chair of Preventive Medicine at the University of Navarra.
Currently, the initiative has successfully enrolled 6,500 participants, leaving it in pursuit of 3,500 more volunteers by June 2025.
“We currently have 6,500 participants registered,” Professor Martinez-Gonzalez told local media.
“Day by day, we are gaining more volunteers. Please help, because UNATI represents health for all.”
To qualify for participation, volunteers must reside in Spain and fall within the specified age brackets of 50-70 or 55-75 years.
Moreover, they must consume at least three alcoholic drinks per week, while non-drinkers and those with medical vulnerabilities related to alcohol consumption are excluded.
The study operates under two guiding messages: “We want to take better care of you” and “UNATI: your health, our science.”
As part of the research, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one emphasising complete abstinence from alcohol, and the other promoting a Mediterranean-style drinking pattern, characterised by moderate intake of fermented beverages such as wine or beer, primarily consumed with meals.
It also includes participants engaging in detailed health surveys, quarterly online meetings, and annual medical check-ups.
The organisers emphasised that their intent is not to promote alcohol consumption, but to dissect whether moderate drinking can indeed have positive health implications.
For those who already consume alcohol in moderation, this presents an exceptional opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research poised to influence lifestyle choices and health practices in the years to come.
