Nuts are rich in healthy fat and calories, so you may not think of them as tools for weight control. But nuts may actually help in the battle of the bulge, suggests a Harvard study published online Sept. 23, 2019, by BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, and Health. Researchers analyzed questionnaire responses on dietary habits, physical activity, and weight changes from about 145,000 middle-aged and older men and women. People who went from never eating nuts to...

Struggling with high blood sugar or diabetes? A study published online March 6, 2020, by PLOS Medicine suggests that increasing your daily fiber intake may help. British researchers combed through dozens of studies with about 10,000 participants who had prediabetes, gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes, or type 2 diabetes. Compared with people who ate low-fiber diets (19 grams of fiber per day), people who ate another 16 grams of fiber per day (a total of...

Eating a diet high in foods tied to inflammation — such as processed meat, sweets, and refined grains — is associated with many health problems, including an increased risk for colon cancer, heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. A Harvard study published online May 7, 2020, by Gastroenterology found another potential risk: Crohn’s disease, a condition characterized by areas of inflammation throughout the large and small intestines. Researchers evaluated 30 years’ worth of self-reported diet information...

Health Start of new era for Alzheimer’s treatment NIH via AP Alvin Powell Harvard Staff Writer June 5, 2023 9 min read Expert discusses recent lecanemab trial, why it appears to offer hope for those with deadly disease Researchers say we appear to be at the start of a new era for Alzheimer’s treatment. Trial results published in January showed that for the first time a drug has been able to slow the cognitive decline...

Endometrial malignant tumor. iStock by Getty Images Health Model predicts risk of endometrial cancer BWH Communications February 14, 2023 5 min read Current screening guidelines ignore those at high risk for the most prevalent gynecological malignancy in U.S. A model to identify those at high risk for endometrial cancer has been developed by a Harvard-led team of investigators. Despite endometrial cancer being the most common gynecological malignancy in the U.S., current guidelines do not recommend...

Health The gap between our teeth BWH Communications February 8, 2023 3 min read More older Americans are losing theirs. Medicare doesn’t cover dental. Not a coincidence. Older adults in the U.S. have a tooth problem: half of them lack dental insurance, and in 2018, nearly half received no dental care. Seeking to shed light on the issue, investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital examined changes in dental care and oral health after older adults...

Brigham and Women’s doctor Elliott Marshall Antman explains why cardiac risk rises during the holidays and details the warning signs. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer Health It’s heart attack season Liz Mineo Harvard Staff Writer December 20, 2022 4 min read Specialist says stress, medication lapses contribute to holiday jump in cardiac mortality Along with parties, travel, and stress, fatal heart attacks are more common in December. We asked Elliott Marshall Antman, a specialist in cardiovascular...

Health Another study links omega-3s and health Maya Brownstein Harvard Chan School Communications June 21, 2023 3 min read This time, high levels of alpha-linolenic fatty acid were seen to slow decline, halve risk of death from ALS Consuming omega-3 fatty acids — particularly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a nutrient found in foods including flaxseeds, walnuts, and chia, canola, and soybean oils — may help slow the progression of disease in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...

Health Longevity analysis identifies 8 key social factors Tracy Hampton MGH Communications February 9, 2023 3 min read Study of older adults highlights importance of non-medical conditions, lead author says; research-based survey available online Social factors affect an individual’s future health, but there’s currently no practical way to summarize the prognostic impact of relationship strength, financial circumstances, and other aspects of our social lives. More like this Health Good genes are nice, but joy is...