Health The best thing about the Mediterranean diet? It doesn’t taste like a diet. Anna Lamb Harvard Gazette Staff January 19, 2023 8 min read Olive oil – maybe not your mom’s – is a good place to start, says Chan School’s Walter Willett. But don’t be afraid to experiment. For people focused on healthy eating in the new year, advice from specialists (and, problematically, non-specialists) can be hard to decipher, never mind follow. But...

Health Study shows higher sperm counts in men who lift heavy objects BWH Communications February 22, 2023 3 min read Analysis part of larger effort to examine infertility Men who regularly lift heavy objects at work have higher sperm counts, suggests a new study from researchers at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The study, published in Human Reproduction, is part of the Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) cohort, a collaboration between the Harvard T.H. Chan...

Health Lack of sleep will catch up to you in more ways than one Anna Lamb Harvard Staff Writer February 17, 2023 4 min read Experts highlight the health and memory effects, offer suggestions for countering environmental disruptions Experts from Harvard, Columbia University, the University of Miami, and the University of Massachusetts detailed the health implications of sleep in a conversation with CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard on Thursday at the Harvard T.H. Chan School...

Robert Waldinger talks about the findings from an 85-year-long Harvard study of adult life and what the good life really looks like. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Health Work out daily? OK, but how socially fit are you? Liz Mineo Harvard Staff Writer February 10, 2023 long read Book by Harvard Study of Adult Development director details what research says about value of relationships to physical, mental health Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of...

Illustration by Davor Pavelic/Ikon Images Health Happy? Want to learn how to be? Anna Lamb Harvard Staff Writer February 7, 2023 5 min read Harvard professor aims to ignite mass movement through podcasts, books, new lab at Kennedy School for research, leadership training Arthur C. Brooks launched a course four years ago to teach his students not only how to increase their happiness, but how to make those around them happier as well. Now, he’s...

Making patients feel psychologically safe about discussing their spirituality is key, said panelist Anna Gosline (podium), executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care. Photos by Scott Eisen Health ‘Why is God doing this to me?’ Clea Simon Harvard Correspondent February 7, 2023 5 min read Inspired by recent study, Divinity School panelists explore the spiritual side of health care The body might be the primary concern of health care, but providers shouldn’t...

Health Lifestyle influences long COVID risk Healthy body weight and adequate sleep top the list, according to data from Nurses’ Health Study Todd Datz Harvard Chan School Communications February 6, 2023 3 min read Illustration by Donna Grethen/Ikon Images Women who followed most aspects of a healthy lifestyle, including healthy body weight, not smoking, regular exercise, adequate sleep, high quality diet, and moderate alcohol consumption, had about half the risk of long COVID compared with...

Amanda Baker was part of a research team that studied the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Health More mindfulness may be part of the answer for anxiety-ridden U.S. Alvin Powell Harvard Staff Writer February 1, 2023 6 min read Researcher hopes findings signal new treatment option amid surge in mental health cases Research has shown that the U.S. is facing a mental health crisis, with specialists unable to keep pace with...

“Our findings suggest that a history of migraine … could be useful in flagging women who may benefit from enhanced monitoring during pregnancy.” Illustration by Peter Crowther/Ikon Images Health Migraine history may be marker of pregnancy complications BWH Communications February 1, 2023 4 min read Study finds increased rates of preterm delivery, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that women with prepregnancy migraine had a greater risk of complications, including...

Illustration by Victoria Tentler-Krylov/Ikon Images Health Has first person to live to be 150 been born? Alvin Powell Harvard Staff Writer January 30, 2023 9 min read Genetics professor outlines recent research on altering molecules that turn DNA on, off, reset cellular aging of body Aging has been long believed to occur through accumulated mutations to DNA, which gradually interfere with the normal functioning of cells, tissues, and organs. In January, Harvard researchers reported that...