Nowadays, no one should doubt that we ourselves, and not someone else, are the first manager of our own health. The best preventive medicine is the lifestyles and eating habits that we freely choose. The free choices of human behavior in favor of health keep away the most serious common diseases, increase the levels of positive health and improve the quality of life. But only when they are in tune with the best scientific evidence.

Where is that evidence? There is no better scientific evidence on diet and lifestyle than that from large randomized trials that rate serious clinical events as goal . But, unlike for drugs, these large preventive trials for per diem expenses and lifestyle are, unfortunately, in short supply.

What have been the largest preventive trials in Europe? There have been two Spanish trials. They are called PREDIMED (Prevention with per diem expenses Mediterranean, www.predimed.es) which worked with 7,500 volunteers between 2003 and 2010 and PREDIMED-Plus, with about 7,000 volunteers, started in 2013 and will end at the end of 2024.

But few people know that these two trials - which have gone around the world - began in Navarra, well done to the region! They were made possible thanks to magnificent teams of doctors and nurses from Navarra's Primary Care. We should be proud of Osasunbidea and of our land.

When we designed PREDIMED-Plus, we estimated that 10% of the patients to be included, all of whom were at high risk, would suffer a serious cardiovascular event in the first 6 years of the study. The reality was that only 3% suffered a major cardiovascular event when the intervention was applied. How can this be explained? It has a name: prevention.

Each of these preventive trials represents a unique opportunity to take good care of yourself. We were able to secure generous public funding from the European committee of research (ERC). Thus, participants enjoy the privilege of having the added bonus of free attendance health care at position from highly qualified and trained professionals. Each volunteer has special attention that takes care of their per diem expenses, weight control, psychological well-being, physical activity, alcohol consumption, quality of life, state of the report, etc. They are repeated contacts with nurses, nutritionists, psychologists and other professionals hired only for project.

Osasunbidea, Idisna (the institute of research), the Clínica Universidad de Navarra and the high school de Enfermería de Navarra are deeply involved in a new initiative of this subject, also publicly funded by the ERC and lasting 4 years (from 2024 to 2028).

The name of this new project is UNATI, but we could have called it "Osasuna". Osasuna is the word that best sums up purpose: creating health. Repeated contacts with a large team of professionals through teleconferences will facilitate a detailed self-examination of the lifestyles and nutrition of each person who participates, thus creating health. This is what Professor Navidad Canga masterfully explained at the opening ceremony at the University of Navarra on September 13.

UNATI started recently and already has about 1,000 participants. The goal is to reach 10,000. There will be inclusion of volunteers throughout Spain until June 2025, but we want Navarra to be especially well represented.

These habit and nutrition factors are addressed in women aged 55-75 years and men aged 50-70 years. All participants must be of these ages and they must also be alcohol consumers, but of the subject "social drinker" (it is not a study, of course, for alcoholics).

The funding granted has among its objectives to resolve the current diatribes about whether the glass of wine with meals is healthy or is better replaced by subject 0.0% beers or other de-alcoholized beverages. There is no solid evidence at present. It would take a preventive essay to know for sure. And where better to start than Navarra? We want our region to continue to be a world reference in health, so we hope that many Navarrese people will benefit from this initiative.

UNATI can elevate Navarra back to the top levels of the Champions' League of the world's health research . Let's create more health. Let's have Osasunitis.