Health

All Health

  • Plant-based diet may feed key gut microbes

    A large-scale international study uses metagenomics and blood analysis to uncover gut microbes associated with the risks for common illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

    Ilustration of the human Microbiome,
  • Highly infectious coronavirus variant dampens prospects for summer return to normal

    Will the British variant’s transmissibility upset summer plans?

    Cell infected with Color-enhanced scanning electron micrograph of a cell infected with SARS-CoV-2 particles.
  • COVID-19 unmasked

    A biology-based mathematical model indicates why COVID-19 outcomes vary widely and how therapy can be tailored to match the needs of specific patient groups.

    Homemade face mask.
  • (Not) feeling the burn

    A study of diet has found that by adhering to specific guidelines, women can reduce more than one-third of incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms.

    Person eating salad.
  • Why run unless something is chasing you?

    In his new book, “Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding,” Daniel Lieberman ’86 explores exercising myths.

    People exercising.
  • Pregnant women with COVID-19 may not pass virus to newborn, study suggests

    A new study has found that pregnant women with COVID-19 do not pass the virus to newborns, however, they may pass fewer-than-expected antibodies to newborns.

    mother and baby.
  • Rethinking health and human rights

    Paul Farmer awarded Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture.

    Paul Farmer.
  • Fauci says herd immunity possible by fall, ‘normality’ by end of 2021

    Fauci predicted herd immunity by next fall and “normality” by 2021’s end, as long as enough people get vaccinated to bring the pandemic to an end.

    Anthony Fauci
  • How pandemic set back efforts to fight other deadly global health problems

    COVID-19 has not only sickened and killed millions around the globe, it has wreaked havoc on existing programs to fight health ills that affect millions more. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dean Michelle Williams discusses with the Gazette an “action agenda” on global health for the incoming Biden administration.

  • ‘A metabolic tug-of-war’

    Researchers find that obesity allows cancer cells to outcompete tumor-killing immune cells in a battle for fuel in mice.

    T cells.
  • Closing the gap

    Mortality rate after cancer surgery drops during 10-year period, but gap persists between Black and white patients.

    Patient and doctor.
  • Collective action for collective healing

    Thomas Hübl, founder of the Academy of Inner Science, will offer a three-part workshop to Harvard faculty and staff to help them cope with the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Thomas Hubl.
  • Will there be a serious post-Thanksgiving COVID surge?

    Evidence of a post-Thanksgiving surge should be emerging this week, a Harvard epidemiologist said, advising people who gathered together to get tested or assume they’re infected.

    Porch with decorations.
  • Seeing clearly again

    Harvard Medical School scientists reverse age-related vision loss, eye damage from glaucoma in mice.

    Research lab.
  • U.S. failed to control pandemic, but vaccination provides ‘chance to get next phase right’

    Experts said the complex rollout of a coronavirus vaccine gives the U.S. a chance for a win after the virus gained the upper hand in its initial phase.

    Five speakers on Zoom.
  • ‘A terrific first start’

    Barry Bloom from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health offers context about the news that two experimental vaccines appear to confer a high level of protection from the coronavirus.

    Vaccine bottles.
  • Have yourself a happy, healthy pandemic Thanksgiving

    Harvard psychiatric epidemiologist Karestan Koenen said acknowledging that this Thanksgiving will be hard is a first step toward a meaningful holiday.

    One person with a cup of coffee.
  • Early details of brain damage in COVID-19 patients

    Massachusetts General Hospital researchers examined six patients using a specialized magnetic resonance technique and found that COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms show some of the same metabolic disturbances in the brain as patients who have suffered oxygen deprivation from other causes.

    Brain scan.
  • Turning the problem of cancer metastasis into an opportunity

    Delivering immune-stimulating nanoparticles to the lungs via red blood cells halts tumor growth in mice.

    Red blood cells.
  • 12-minute exercise bursts offer big benefits

    A new study describes how a 12-minute burst of cardio exercise impacted more than 80 percent of circulating metabolites, including pathways linked key bodily functions such as insulin resistance, oxidative stress, vascular reactivity, inflammation, and longevity.

    Man running steps at Widener Library.
  • Antibody evolution may predict COVID-19 outcomes

    For COVID-19, the difference between surviving and not surviving severe disease may be due to the quality, not the quantity, of the patients’ antibody development and response, suggests a new study.

    Image from first COVID case.
  • AI revolution in medicine

    As part of our series, artificial intelligence is examined through the medical lens. It may lift personalized treatment, fill gaps in access to care, and cut red tape, but risks abound.

    Illustration of person having an X-ray.
  • Keeping safe from pandemic during the holidays

    William Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, offers key advice as the holidays approach.

    People at Thanksgiving table.
  • Feeling election stress? Stop hitting ‘refresh’

    Harvard psychologists offer tips to survive political stress and strain

    Woman in mask destressing.
  • Vaccine close, but it likely won’t be a silver bullet

    Medical experts say a vaccine will be a key development in the fight against the coronavirus, but warned against thinking its deployment will mean the fight is over.

    Facui and Farmer in Zoom talk.
  • Nipping COVID in the bud

    A new trial at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is aiming to disrupt COVID-19’s attack early in its course by treating patients immediately after symptoms appear with a widely used antiviral drug that, if it works, could be rapidly repurposed to fight the coronavirus.

    Nathan Shapiro.
  • COVID’s triple whammy for Black students

    College students of color not only face a disproportionate risk of contracting COVID-19, they are particularly vulnerable to its psychological damage — especially when the longtime struggle against inequality and the current financial crisis are factored in, said speakers at a virtual Harvard forum.

    Panel of experts on Zoom screen.
  • Calculating possible fallout of Trump’s dismissal of face masks

    Looking at the public health effects, and perhaps mortality rate, from President Trump’s running dismissal of wearing face masks to minimize the spread of coronavirus.

    President Trump talking to a mask-free crowd.
  • An unhealthy influencer

    Risk factors for heart health, such as smoking, unhealthy diets and minimal physical activity, may seem personal, but for people who are married or in a domestic partnership, the behavior patterns of one person may be strongly linked to the patterns of the other.

    Couple drinking and smoking.
  • Investigational ALS drug slows progression

    An experimental medication that was recently shown to slow the progression of ALS has now demonstrated the potential to also prolong patient survival.

    Neuron