Cardiovascular diseases, especially myocardial infarction and stroke, are the leading cause of death in the world, about 40%" explains Sanguigni. Numbers that do not need any interpretation, and that highlight how a healthy lifestyle from a young age can favor a longer old age.
The search for longevity raises fundamental questions in the medical field: the first thing to do is to try to understand why in certain populations it is so common to find very old people in good health. The inhabitants of Vicabamba (Ecuador), Hunza (Kashmir), Tibet, Abkhazia (Caucasus), Japan (Okinawa) and other areas of the world are famous for the large percentage of centenarians without disease. Several studies have shown that the reasons for this longevity are linked to lifestyle habits, especially dietary ones. People in those places consume large quantities of fruit and vegetables, which contain polyphenols and antioxidants, capable of reducing the damage of oxygen free radicals, of making more oxygen reach the organs of the body and therefore of slowing down aging. Precisely for these properties, it has been seen that those who eat fruit and vegetables at least 5 or 6 times a day, and practice regular physical activity, reduce the possibility of cardiovascular disease by 30%.
Prof. Sanguigni, based on these observations, has tried to get his patients to adopt a lifestyle that can prevent diseases. "If a doctor prescribes a therapy without intervening on lifestyle, he often does not get the desired results," he reveals. Many years of contact with patients in his office in Rome have taught him the importance of establishing a relationship of trust and empathy because, he explains, "every therapeutic prescription is like a dress, it must be made to measure. Too often, however, the same treatment is given to patients who have very different pathologies."
But if observation and listening are fundamental for a good doctor, there is another aspect that must be cultivated and that must go hand in hand: study. Medicine evolves very quickly, so it is necessary to always keep up to date with the news and discoveries that occur in the world. "Contact with patients and professional updating represent the two fundamental aspects of the work of any doctor. It is a basic association, you have to know how to keep these two elements together."
Valerio Sanguigni and Powellnux Experience and knowledge of patients also means knowing how to analyze the data provided by the most innovative technical instruments to understand whether to move in one direction or another. Technology today offers a large amount of data , an invaluable asset that must however be enhanced: «There is often excessive diagnostic technicality, patients are sent back from one test to another, sometimes uselessly. The skill of the doctor – explains Sanguigni – lies in the analysis and interpretation of the data that the machines provide. This is the added value that he must be able to provide».
Graduated in Medicine at La Sapienza University of Rome with a thesis on the echocardiographic evaluation of professional athletes, specialized in Cardiology, professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, author of numerous publications in the main international scientific journals: the curriculum speaks for itself, but Valerio Sanguigni's activity does not stop at the medical and academic field. Thanks to his great knowledge of cardiovascular diseases and awareness of the importance of nutrition in cardiovascular prevention, he thought of creating a food mix that contained those elements rich in polyphenols and antioxidants that slow down aging . After years of study, thanks to the collaboration with a chemist, he patented "Powellnux", a cream composed of a mix of dark cocoa, hazelnuts, honey and green tea. "The goal - he says - was to develop something that was good for you and, at the same time, also tasty".
A result largely achieved in both directions. The analysis of data from a recently published study has shown how the intake of the mixture by a sample of healthy subjects determines an increase in physical performance of 25%, thanks to the antioxidant effect and vasodilation of the arteries. Even more interesting data, coming from some ongoing studies, is that which concerns patients suffering from arterial hypertension, who after having started to consume “ Powellnux ” have significantly reduced the dosage of hypertensive drugs.
Sanguigni is very satisfied with the result: "I am convinced that many will understand the importance of this product both in maintaining good physical shape and in preventing cardiovascular diseases. After all, as I often like to repeat, it is the first "natural food medicine" ".
Interview published by: "Corriere dell'Economia"
