José Juan Gaforio, Professor at the University of Jaén and Head of the Health and Epidemiology Unit at the INUO of the University of Jaén, is the coordinator in Jaén for the UNATI study, led by the University of Navarra and funded by the European Research Council.
The University Institute of Research on Olive Grove and Olive Oils (INUO) at the University of Jaén is joining the largest international clinical trial on the effects of alcohol consumption, the UNATI study, led by the University of Navarra and funded by the European Research Council, which aims to determine whether moderate alcohol consumption has positive or negative effects.
In Jaén, the study is being coordinated by José Juan Gaforio, Professor of Immunology at the University of Jaén and head of the Health and Epidemiology Unit at INUO, together with healthcare staff from the Andalusian Health Service in Jaén. The principal investigator for the project is Miguel Ángel Martínez González, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Navarra and Associate Professor at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University (USA).
The aim of this project is to determine whether moderate alcohol consumption has positive or negative effects; it has been launched because there is currently a great deal of confusion regarding the health effects of alcohol consumption. Whilst some guidelines state that “there is no safe level of consumption”, other studies suggest that drinking in moderation may even be associated with lower mortality rates compared to not drinking at all.
Volunteer participants
The study is seeking volunteer participants who will receive completely free healthcare provided by dietitians, psychologists, nurses and doctors. This study offers a unique opportunity for participants to improve their lifestyle, their diet and all aspects that are key to their health, such as alcohol consumption.
It should be noted that this study does not allow the participation of teetotallers; instead, participants must be people who consume alcohol in moderation (between 3 and 40 drinks on average per week). In other words, this is not a study on alcoholism, but rather one in which participants will receive a series of recommendations to improve their drinking habits.
Another requirement for participation is that men must be aged between 50 and 70 and women between 55 and 75; participants must not have any psychiatric disorders or cognitive impairment, liver cirrhosis or breast cancer.
Interested parties
Anyone interested in taking part in the study should register via the following web link or contact the study team directly by email at unatijaen@gmail.com
Source: UNATI Study (25/05/2026)
