Luis Cereijo

A team from the United States has analysed data on modes of transport in more than 11,500 cities in 121 countries around the world, including Spain, representing 41% of the world's population. In addition to studying the factors that most influence the proportion of journeys made on foot or by bicycle, they estimate that if each city analysed increased the extent of its cycling network to the level of Copenhagen (Denmark), private vehicle emissions would be reduced by 6% and the public health benefits would be equivalent to around £37 billion. The results are published in the journal PNAS.

Many people don't follow sports events, yet they enjoy the Olympics. Unlike the dominant men's soccer industry, the Olympics offer a wide variety of events for all tastes, with greater visibility of women's sports and a context that makes it easier to connect with the competition narrative, based on an internationalist and humanist spirit. They are proof that sports appeal to everyone because play is part of human essence.

According to a large long-term study published in BMJ Public Health, people who cycle or walk to work or school have a lower risk of mental and physical illness. Cyclists benefit the most, with a 47% lower risk of death from any cause, a 24% lower risk of hospital admission for cardiovascular disease, a 51% lower risk of dying from cancer and a 20% lower risk of being prescribed drugs for mental health problems.

In the year 2023, Science magazine has chosen the development and discovery that GLP-1 medications, agonists of the glucagon-like peptide-1, can mitigate health issues associated with obesity as the most important scientific breakthrough. Similarly, Nature magazine has selected biochemist Svetlana Mojsov, a key figure in the discovery of GLP-1, as one of the top ten scientists of the year. 

In Spain, both in the child and adult populations, excess weight and obesity are more prevalent among men. Additionally, lower educational levels, lower income, disability, and the presence of individuals with obesity in the household are factors associated with a higher prevalence of excess weight and obesity. These are some of the conclusions drawn from two scientific articles and two complementary reports prepared by the National Center for Epidemiology of the Carlos III Health Institute and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN). The data is derived from the ENE-COVID survey, which investigated the seroprevalence of COVID-19 infection in Spain.

Obesity is a growing public health problem for the entire planet. According to the 2023 Obesity Atlas published this week by the World Obesity Federation, 51% of the world's population will be overweight or obese (more than 4 billion people) by 2035, up from 38% today. At a briefing organised by SMC Spain ahead of World Obesity Day on 4 March, two experts discussed the role that drugs can play in combating a disease whose roots are social and linked to inequality.