https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health The more optimistic a person is, the lower their risk of developing dementia, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The research, published April 8 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, was led by Säde Stenlund, research associate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Other Harvard Chan co-authors included Hayami Koga, Peter James, Justin Farmer, Colleen McGrath, and Laura Kubzansky. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-greater-optimism-dementia-years.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news695559242 Anopheles darlingi mosquitoes—a major vector of malaria in South America—are evolving in response to insecticides, which may make them harder to kill and malaria more difficult to control, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study appears in Science. It is the first study to sequence a large number (>1000) of complete genomes of Anopheles mosquitoes in the Americas, where there are more than 600,000 cases of malaria annually, mostly in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-malaria-transmitting-mosquitoes-south-america.html Plants & Animals Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:00:12 EDT news693735362 Individuals living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) had a significantly lower risk of poor cardiovascular health when they used a GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) in combination with adhering to healthy lifestyle habits, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-glp-drugs-combined-healthy-lifestyle.html Cardiology Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:30:04 EST news691233121 U.S. counties located closer to operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) have higher rates of cancer mortality than those located farther away, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study is the first of the 21st century to analyze proximity to NPPs and cancer mortality across all NPPs and every U.S. county. The researchers emphasized that the findings are not enough to establish causality but do highlight the need for further research into nuclear power's health impacts. The research is published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-proximity-nuclear-power-cancer-mortality.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 23 Feb 2026 05:00:01 EST news690798618 Individuals who engaged in spirituality were significantly less likely to exhibit hazardous use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and illicit drugs, according to a new meta-analysis led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The meta-analysis is the first of its kind to synthesize and comprehensively estimate associations between harmful or hazardous substance use and spirituality—considered any practice, religious or otherwise, through which an individual finds ultimate meaning, purpose, and connection to something greater than themselves. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-spiritual-strongly-hazardous-alcohol-drug.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:00:18 EST news690473521 Real estate investment trust (REIT)-acquired U.S. hospitals were associated with a greater risk of bankruptcy or closure than non-REIT-acquired hospitals, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The findings also showed that REIT acquisition of hospitals had no significant impact on quality of care or clinical outcomes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-hospitals-real-estate-investment-greater.html Medical economics Thu, 18 Dec 2025 05:30:01 EST news685210261 Reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic was linked with significantly lower rates of mental health diagnoses among children, including anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and a drop in related health care spending, according to a new study from researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues. The benefits were especially pronounced among girls. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-school-reopening-covid-pandemic-children.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 08 Dec 2025 16:00:01 EST news684405776 Metastatic melanoma cells that have spread to lymph nodes survive by relying on a protein called ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1)—a surprising metabolic dependency that could open the door to a new class of cancer treatments, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-triggering-cell-death-metastatic-melanoma.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:19 EST news681471891 Stillbirths occur at a higher rate in the U.S. than previously reported, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Mass General Brigham. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-stillbirths-exceed-previous-clinical-factors.html Health Mon, 27 Oct 2025 11:00:10 EDT news680513402 By age 18, three in five U.S. children have enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and two in five have experienced a period of being uninsured, according to a microsimulation model developed by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-majority-children-enroll-medicaid-coverage.html Pediatrics Wed, 24 Sep 2025 11:00:23 EDT news677923502 Following a green-Mediterranean diet—which includes green tea and the aquatic plant Mankai—is associated with slower brain aging, according to a study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-green-mediterranean-diet-brain-aging.html Health Fri, 12 Sep 2025 07:02:04 EDT news676879321 Metals, particularly nickel and vanadium, and sulfate particles are the components of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) that most strongly contribute to the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and hospitalization among asthma sufferers, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-metals-sulfate-air-pollution-mixture.html Health Fri, 29 Aug 2025 13:10:01 EDT news675689543 A Mediterranean-style diet, in combination with reduced caloric intake, moderate physical activity, and professional support for weight loss, may cut the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) by 31%, according to a new study co-authored by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-mediterranean-diet-combined-calorie-reduction.html Health Mon, 25 Aug 2025 17:00:03 EDT news675329521 In a study that tracked the diets of more than 205,000 adults over decades, French fries were associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), while other forms of potatoes—including baked, boiled, and mashed—were not. The study, led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health also found that swapping any form of potato for whole grains may lower the risk of T2D. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-potatoes-diabetes.html Health Wed, 06 Aug 2025 18:30:01 EDT news673074428 Increasing solar power generation in the U.S. by 15% could lead to an annual reduction of 8.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The researchers found that the climate benefits of solar power differ markedly across U.S. regions, pinpointing where clean energy investments return the greatest climate dividends. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-solar-power-boost-emissions-millions.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:00:07 EDT news673074663 Living near Coldwater Creek—a Missouri River tributary north of St. Louis that was polluted by nuclear waste from the development of the first atomic bomb—in childhood in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s was associated with an elevated risk of cancer, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The researchers say the findings corroborate health concerns long held by community members. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-st-louis-area-coldwater-creek.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 16 Jul 2025 11:00:18 EDT news671780680 Exposure to fire smoke—which can be composed of particulate matter, gases, materials from buildings such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), toxic metals, and carcinogenic compounds—may alter the immune system on a cellular level, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study is the first to examine the specific cellular changes associated with fire smoke exposure, documenting how smoke can damage the body through the immune system. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-exposure-immune-healthy-individuals.html Health Thu, 26 Jun 2025 13:01:01 EDT news670161656 In the midst of a multi-state measles outbreak, a new poll by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation finds that most U.S. adults (79%) say parents should be required to have children vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella to attend school. This includes a majority of adults across party lines—90% among Democrats and 68% among Republicans—as well as 66% of those who support the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement. It also includes 72% of all parents. Among all U.S. adults, about one in five (21%) do not support routine childhood vaccine requirements. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-poll-multi-state-measles-outbreak.html Pediatrics Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:12:03 EDT news670147921 Nearly one-third of people who adopted and adhered to a healthy diet did not lose any weight, but still reaped many health benefits, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Ben Gurion University, Israel. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-healthy-diet-cardiometabolic-benefits-weight.html Cardiology Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:00:01 EDT news668324282 A newly discovered mechanism that leads to liver dysfunction may be a key factor in type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders in individuals with obesity, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-newly-mechanism-mitochondrial-dysfunction-obesity.html Diabetes Fri, 30 May 2025 11:13:04 EDT news667822382 A potent combination of antimalarial compounds added to bed nets blocked parasite transmission in mosquitoes while circumventing insecticide resistance, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The finding dramatically expands understanding of druggable targets in mosquito-stage parasite development and lays the groundwork for a new, more effective way to prevent malaria transmission. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-malaria-strategy-efficiently-parasites-mosquito.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 21 May 2025 11:00:01 EDT news667039501 One hundred days into the new federal administration, a new poll reports that major segments of the U.S. public anticipate they will lose trust in public health recommendations with the changes in health agency leadership. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-poll-americans-health-federal-leadership.html Political science Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:51:05 EDT news665128262 Exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke was associated with increased visits to emergency departments (ED) for mental health conditions, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-exposure-wildfire-linked-worsening-mental.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:00:08 EDT news662972221 Maintaining a healthy diet rich in plant-based foods, with low to moderate intake of healthy animal-based foods and lower intake of ultra-processed foods, is linked to a higher likelihood of healthy aging—defined as reaching age 70 free of major chronic diseases and with cognitive, physical, and mental health maintained, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, and University of Montreal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-healthy-midlife-linked-aging.html Health Mon, 24 Mar 2025 12:00:04 EDT news662024942 Chronic health conditions are taking a major, hidden toll on the U.S. workforce's lives and productivity, according to a new national poll by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-poll-workers-chronic-conditions-havent.html Health Tue, 11 Feb 2025 12:03:28 EST news658497781 A new, comprehensive map of all the genes essential for blood infections in Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi), a parasite that causes malaria in humans, has been generated by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues. The map contains the most complete classification of essential genes in any Plasmodium species and can be used to identify druggable parasite targets and mechanisms of drug resistance that can inform the development of new treatments for malaria. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-essential-gene-malaria-parasite-plasmodium.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 06 Feb 2025 16:04:54 EST news658080288 Puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones are rarely prescribed to U.S. transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents, according to a study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and FOLX Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-gender-affirming-medications-rarely-adolescents.html Pediatrics Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:00:01 EST news655374782 Eating a diet with a higher ratio of plant-based protein to animal-based protein may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD), according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. According to the researchers, these risk reductions are likely driven by the replacement of red and processed meats with plant proteins. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-higher-ratio-protein-animal-heart.html Health Mon, 02 Dec 2024 04:00:01 EST news652091282 For pregnant women, exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) was associated with altered immune responses that can lead to adverse birth outcomes, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study is the first to examine the relationship between PM2.5 and maternal and fetal health on a single-cell level and highlights the health risk of PM2.5 exposure for pregnant women. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-fine-particulate-air-pollution-play.html Health Fri, 29 Nov 2024 14:00:01 EST news651946495 Medicare Advantage (MA) plans receive billions of federal dollars for enrolling veterans who receive no Medicare services, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-federal-overpaying-veterans-health-medicare.html Medical economics Mon, 04 Nov 2024 16:00:01 EST news649932181