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.

Spotlight

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

‘Harvard diet’ may lower disease risk

An eating plan developed by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recently been touted for its potential to promote healthy aging

Alberto Ascherio, Marc Lipsitch among STAT’s picks for top leaders in life sciences

Harvard Chan School’s Alberto Ascherio and Marc Lipsitch are among 46 individuals in life sciences named to the 2023 STATUS List—a group of leaders in public health, medicine, biotechnology, and more, recognized by STAT for their contributions to…

Choosing healthier sandwich options

A sandwich may seem like a healthy choice for lunch, but experts say that they can hide high amounts of sodium and saturated fat.

Better Off Podcast: Is working from home unhealthy?

Working from home has its perks: Better coffee, easy commute, no fluorescent lighting. But, as any home office worker can tell you, there are also downsides: No more office social hours, no more ergonomic chairs, and no more…

Olive oil recommended as replacement for less healthy fats

Olive oil consumed on its own won’t transform health and may just add unnecessary calories to the diet.

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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