Cultivating Well-being and Nutrition

The right balance is possible

From fast food to no food, from the obesity epidemic sweeping the globe to social isolation and unhappiness, we’re still plagued by barriers to human thriving. The links between our health and how we feel, interact, and live are complex and clouded. But the path forward has never seemed clearer.

We’re leading the way in determining how genetics, lifestyles and societies interact to influence everything from metabolism to mental health. We’re designing sustainable strategies to feed an exploding population. We’re leading cutting edge research to understand how diet impacts health at molecular and population levels—and how where we live, learn, work, and play influences our health. But it doesn’t stop at the science: we’re also shaping sustainable food policies, finding new ways to measure well-being, and providing insights to empower individuals and drive real-world progress.

We’re advancing health and happiness for all.

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Nutrition Source
The Nutrition Source at the Harvard Chan School is a leading authority on food and nutrition knowledge, providing science-based guidance for healthy living, and offering comprehensive nutrition information through timely content and tools.
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Recent Stories

Gum disease associated with higher gastrointestinal cancer risk

People who have a history of gum disease or who have lost two or more teeth face increased risk of gastrointestinal cancers, a study found.

Moderate coffee, tea consumption can be part of healthy lifestyle for most

Moderate coffee consumption may reduce the risk of several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.

Pregnant women vulnerable to mental health problems during pandemic

Women who are pregnant during the coronavirus pandemic may be at risk of developing serious mental health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Eating more whole grains per day may cut diabetes risk

Just one or two servings of whole grains per day may help reduce diabetes risk.

SNAP an effective economic stimulus program

As a result of the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, one in five U.S. households lacks adequate food.

Sara Bleich
Professor of Public Health Policy

"I predict that in 30 years, we will live in an environment where everything is nudging us toward healthy choices—as opposed to the environment we live in now, where everything conspires to get us to eat more and exercise less."
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Lindsay Jaacks
Assistant Professor of Global Health and Population

"Diabetes will be the signal disease for cardiovascular risk in the future, because most people with diabetes die from its complications, such as cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and kidney failure."
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Vasanti Malik
Research Scientist in the Department of Nutrition

"For many decades, one of the challenges has been how to assess diet in our research. In the future, we will see growth in wearables and other technologies that can directly evaluate diet... That will not only help research but also help consumers."
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