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Scientific Director’s Presentation
It is a pleasure for me to be presenting for the first time this annual report on the work done by the CIBEROBN, in which the scientific activi- ty in the areas of Obesity and Nutrition carried out by the CIBER public consortium is repre- sented. The CIBEROBN was conceived with the aim of generating an environment for scientific management and translational research of pro- ven quality in the national and international set- tings, intended for solving healthcare problems in the benefit of the National Health System (SNS) and for improving citizens’ quality of life. At the present time, the CIBEROBN is structu- red around 6 research programmes along with a number of transversal areas (teaching) and common platforms (Fatbank, Metagenomics, Epigenomics).
The report now presented represents the work done by a total number of 31 Groups which will next year be joined by two new Groups, which were selected with the aim of strengthening the Childhood Obesity line.
The first valuation I should like to make is in res- pect of my predecessor in the post as Scientific Director, Dr Felipe Casanueva, who had been carrying out that role since the CIBEROBN was founded as a new instrument for cooperative research at the ISCIII. The challenge that he faced as founding Director was highly conside- rable, since not only did he have to get a new research Centre under way but this also had to be done without having any similar model to take inspiration from. Over these years he ma- naged to define and develop different research programmes in the field of obesity and nutrition which in the great majority of cases imply the participation of a large number of groups with different types of structure. Common and com- plementary structures have also been defined
and got under way to reinforce the work done in cooperation, stressing the FATBANK in this respect. Lastly, something that should also be stressed was having defined transparent crite- ria and continuous assessment objectives of the Groups in the CIBER. The success of the work done by the Scientific Management, Ma- nagement Committee and researchers of the CIBEROBN is I believe reflected by data inclu- ded in this report, which proves that the CIBE- ROBN has gained a position as an international benchmark in the field of obesity and nutrition. With regard to this aspect I should like to hi- ghlight one milestone of exceptional relevance in the biomedical research done in this coun- try and connected with the PREDIMED study, which forms part of the CIBEROBN research programme. The publications stemming from the PREDIMED study carried out by CIBEROBN researchers are unquestionably going to have a resounding effect on the population’s lifes- tyle habits and on their cardiovascular health. This is vouched for by the incorporation of the Mediterranean diet as a healthy pattern for pre- venting cardiovascular diseases in the Dietary guidelines for Americans 2015 by its Scientific Committee, basing its conclusions precisely on the PREDIMED. study. In fact the Health De- partment of the US Government makes express mention of the PREDIMED studies on up to 82 occasions in its 2015 nutritional guidelines.
The fact that PREDIMED should form part of American Diet Guidelines is exceptionally rele- vant since this implies that the Mediterranean diet is starting to become prominent as one of the healthiest diet patterns based on the best scientific evidence for prevention of cardiovas- cular disease.
This worldwide standing of the CIBEROBN is a
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