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ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact that the moderate and regular consumption of Cinco Jotas acorn‐fed 100% Iberian ham has on overall cardiovascular risk, lipid parameters, blood pressure, and weight.MethodsA longitudinal, analytical, and quasi‐experimental clinical study with repeated measures was carried out with 100 randomly selected individuals in primary care. The sample population included men and women (64%) between the ages of 25 and 55 (42.08, SD 9.6) who were not diagnosed with any cardiovascular illness or diabetes, were not undergoing antihypertensive treatment, nor taking lipid‐lowering drugs. There were four visits during a 2‐week washout period for the first of three phases. Phases 2 and 3 included an 8‐week habitual diet phase followed by an 8‐week intervention phase when participants consumed 40 g daily of acorn‐fed 100% Cinco Jotas Iberian ham. Measurements of cardiovascular risk factors were taken following the SCORE table. These included total cholesterol, high‐density lipoproteins cholesterol (HDL‐c), low‐density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL‐c), triglycerides (TG), and weight.ResultsThe average vascular risk (SCORE) was 0.20 (SD 0.49) before the consumption phase and 0.18 (SD 0.48) at the end of the study (p > 0.05). An increase in HDL‐c of 5 mg/dl was observed while there was a decrease in LDL‐c and TG of 10 mg/dl (p < 0.05). There were no differences in total cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or weight; nor were differences observed in average consumption of calories, protein, lipids, carbohydrates, or alcohol (p > 0.05).ConclusionsThe daily consumption of 40 g of Cinco Jotas acorn‐fed 100% Iberian ham does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and has a favorable impact on lipid levels without affecting blood pressure or weight.

Background Heart failure (HF) is a major and growing medical and economic problem, with high prevalence and incidence rates worldwide. Cardiac Biomarker is emerging as a novel tool for improving management of patients with HF with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods This is a before and after interventional study, that assesses the impact of a personalized follow-up procedure for HF on patient’s outcomes and care associated cost, based on a clinical model of risk stratification and personalized management according to that risk. A total of 192 patients were enrolled and studied before the intervention and again after the intervention. The primary objective was the rate of readmissions, due to a HF. Secondary outcome compared the rate of ED visits and quality of life improvement assessed by the number of patients who had reduced NYHA score. A cost-analysis was also performed on these data. Results Admission rates significantly decreased by 19.8% after the intervention (from 30.2 to 10.4), the total hospital admissions were reduced by 32 (from 78 to 46) and the total length of stay was reduced by 7 days (from 15 to 9 days). The rate of ED visits was reduced by 44% (from 64 to 20). Thirty-one percent of patients had an improved functional class score after the intervention, whereas only 7.8% got worse. The overall cost saving associated with the intervention was € 72,769 per patient (from € 201,189 to € 128,420) and €139,717.65 for the whole group over 1 year. Conclusions A personalized follow-up of HF patients led to important outcome benefits and resulted in cost savings, mainly due to the reduction of patient hospitalization readmissions and a significant reduction of care-associated costs, suggesting that greater attention should be given to this high-risk cohort to minimize the risk of hospitalization readmissions.

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