Jonatan Ruiz is a researcher Ramón y Cajal at the Faculty of Sports Sciences of the University of Granada (Spain).
Bachelor of Sports Sciences from the Granada institution, their research combines clinical epidemiology with physiology to study the interactions between genetics and lifestyle about the development of cardiovascular diseases.
He has dedicated his research career to study the impact of regular practice of physical activity on cardiovascular health and, more specifically, on obesity and type 2 diabetes in the different stages of life.
Currently, this scientist is working on the Actibate Research Project (Activating Through Exercise) that aims to analyze the effects of the exercise on the activity and quantity of the adipose tissue brown in young adults.
"The ability of the brown adipose tissue to increase basal metabolism makes it a target tissue for antiobesity and diabetic therapies," the researcher tells DM, and adds that "the sympathetic nervous system is the main regulator of adipose tissue activitybrown.
However, recent results have revealed the existence of a set of brown adipose tissue activators that seem to not need the regulation of the sympathetic nervous system. "Ruiz emphasizes that it is interesting that these activators are sensitive to exercise, which opens new opportunitiesto study the therapeutic effect of exercise. "
"Recent studies have indicated that there is a set of brown adipose tissue activators who seem to not need the regulation of the sympathetic nervous system
The Actibate research project aims to determine the effect of a six -month exercise program on the activity and quantity of adipose brown tissue in young adults.In addition, the study aims to determine if there is a dose-response, establishing two levels of intervention with different exercise intensities: moderate and vigorous.
Raising the view to the future, Ruiz affects that "there are many factors to take into account in the development of type 2 diabetes, but mainly two very important factors: diet and exercise."
"There are multiple factors that must be taken into account in the development of type 2 diabetes. But, without a doubt, diet and lack of exercise they head the list"
His arrow with research in type 2 diabetes comes from a long time."I started investigating obesity, diabetes and risk factors associated almost from the first day I began to train as a researcher. In fact, the two doctoral theses I made, one at the University of Granada and the other at the Karolinska Institute of Stockholm(Sweden), they have that common denominator, "he says while showing that the causes that pushed him to work on this matter were the possibilities that the regular practice of physical activity has in primary and secondary prevention.
As an expert in exercise, the professional indicates his conviction of the potential that this cheap and affordable drug has when prescribed.
The properties of physical exercise are more than demonstrated for the benefit of many pathologies and the scientist remarks that these benefits of physical activity vary according to the characteristics of the population (age, gender, previous state of health)."In the light of available scientific evidence, it is striking that there are no prevention and treatment policies based on the prescription of physical exercise. The regular practice of physical activity should therefore be something mandatory from very early ages."
Overweight and obesity are epidemics of the 21st century and fight them through a healthy lifestyle, in the opinion of theResearcher at the University of Granada, which indicates that these habits, basically, are composed of healthy eating and regular practice of physical activity."The evidence available in scientific literature leaves no doubt."
Jonatan Ruiz acknowledges that he has been lucky enough to have several mentors who, at different stages, have been contributing their vision of science and life.Among them, Ángel Gutiérrez, Manuel J. Castillo, Manuel Delgado, Luis Moreno, Marcela González-Gross, Michael Sjöström, Alejandro Lucía and Ángel Gil.But it stands out to Gutiérrez and Castillo, from the University of Granada, with which he started as a researcher."They taught me the way, they always encouraged the 'elf' of restlessness' and instilled the physology that things can only be done in a way: very well."
