2023-11-01 09:10:25
by Vera Martinella
A study is underway resulting from the collaboration between Esselunga and the Milan Cancer Institute to collect and study the lifestyles of Italians: it will help to understand how much our choices influence the risk of falling ill. How to participate
Are we what we eat? The correct answer, according to hundreds of studies published in the most prestigious scientific journals, is undoubtedly yes: our state of health is the mirror of what we ingest in terms of food, drink and smoking. With the fundamental addition of the physical activity we practice and the size of our waistline that results from it.
How do Italians eat and how are they? To answer questions I started on YOUGOODY projectconceived, coordinated and managed directly by the team of researchers of the Epidemiology and Prevention Structure of the National Cancer Institute of Milan (Int), in collaboration with Esselunga.
The evidence has been collected for more than 50 years
It took 50 years
to understand that lifestyles, primarily what we put on our plates, are at the origin of over a third of cancers. And that we can do a lot to limit the chances of getting sick: a lot depends on our eating habits, smoking, overweight, obesity and lack of physical activity. Fundamental indications came from the international EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), which began at the National Cancer Institute of Milan in the early 1990s and involved over 13 thousand people: it was the first research in the world to demonstrate a link between cancer and lifestyles – underlines Elio Riboli, professor of Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention at the School of Public Health of Imperial College London, European coordinator and principal investigator of EPIC -. Thanks to EPIC, very solid data have been published since 2004 on the relationship between the consumption of red meat and sausages and colon cancer and the reduction in risk associated with the consumption of foods rich in vegetable fibers, in particular from whole grains and vegetables. . And EPIC has also made it possible to highlight the negative impact of insulin resistance on the increased risk of some forms of cancer, including post-menopausal breast cancer.
Foods that help prevent cancer
The information collected by scientists for over half a century leaves no doubt: a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and relatively low in red meat, sausages and foods rich in animal fats helps prevent cancer. While excessive consumption of alcohol and sweet drinks, both sugar-based and artificial sweeteners, contributes to triggering negative mechanisms in the body that can favor the formation of a neoplasm. As scientific research progressed, however, eating habits (and not only) changed all over the world. Often not for the better, especially if we consider the constant increase in overweight and obese adults and children, even in Italy, while extra kilos are known risk factors for at least six different types of cancer: endometrial, colorectal, esophagus, kidney, pancreas and breast, especially among post-menopausal women. the number of meals consumed outside the home has increased and (with globalisation) also the number and type of foods, with the precious Mediterranean diet losing ground, while it remains the healthiest diet. However, unfortunately, the amount of hours spent outdoors and staying physically active is decreasing, but sedentary lifestyle is the enemy of health. Over the last 30 years, food tastes have changed – continues Riboli -. Just think for example of the increase in those who are choosing a meat-free, vegetarian or vegan diet and in general the increase in the single population which has led to a different concept of lunches and especially dinners. Now, with YOUGOODY It will be interesting to examine the changes that have occurred and follow their progress over the years, with the aim also of understanding whether there is a relationship that can increase or decrease the risk of disease.
How to participate in the project
The project envisages the involvement of at least 100 thousand people over 18 by June 2025, to understand food consumption, physical activity practiced, as well as other information regarding lifestyle and health status. L
The search for volunteers has already begun through the Esselunga communication channels and also on the YOUGOODY website (to join it is sufficient connect here e and follow the instructions), with the aim of expanding the number of participants in the study by involving the Central and Southern regions, including the islands, thanks to the support of the Municipalities, local health authorities and university centres. People who join are invited to fill out a series of detailed questionnaires relating to lifestyle and health – explains Sabina Sieri, director of Epidemiology and Prevention at Int and responsible for the YouGoody project –. The predominant part is that of the diet, divided into food groups, such as fruit and vegetables, cereals, meat, alcohol. The data we will obtain from the questionnaires will be used to identify new eating and behavioral styles which will then be related to the maintenance of a good state of health or to the onset or worsening of diseases such as diabetes, tumors and cardiovascular diseases.
Study on heart and tumors
The information will be updated every two years, which will also allow us to understand whether other external events, such as the information campaigns that will gradually be activated by the Ministry of Health, will be effective in influencing positive changes in lifestyle. Cardiovascular diseases and cancers represent the first and second causes of death respectively in Italy today – recalls Sieri -. They have the same risk factors in common with regards to lifestyle and for this reason, today we are increasingly seeing the design of studies that go beyond the single pathology.
YOUGOODY is part of the broader partnership that unites the National Cancer Institute of Milan and Esselunga which, already in 2012, had led to the collection of over 880 thousand euros donated by Esselunga with the collaboration of customers.
The collaboration between Int and Esselunga
In 2019, a two-year collaboration was sealed which saw the donation of one million euros by Esselunga to be allocated to scientific research activities and projects conducted by Int, renewed in 2021 with further funding which allowed develop this project. Furthermore, Esselunga has created, together with researchers from the National Cancer Institute of Milan, a series of five volumes dedicated to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle thanks to a balanced diet. With the National Cancer Institute of Milan we share the fundamental role who adopt a correct diet and healthy habits as valid tools for the prevention of many pathologies – concludes Giovanni Merante, Esselunga Sponsorships and Events manager -. for this reason we are honored to have contributed, with our tools and our channels, to the outcome of this first part of the prospective study. We will therefore continue to promote this initiative with the aim of making it known to an ever-increasing number of our customers and allowing for broad recruitment, because we believe in the research and promotion of healthy lifestyles and, as we have done over the years, we will continue to disseminate the values of a balanced diet.
November 1, 2023 (changed November 1, 2023 | 08:10)
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