While doctors routinely perform vitamin D blood tests during annual physicals, many of the 70 to 90 percent of African Americans who are diagnosed as vitamin D deficient may actually have healthy levels and could be taking supplements unnecessarily. Ravi Thadhani, HMS
professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the senior author of the study.
Scientists are getting close to proving what yogis have held to be true for centuries – yoga and meditation can ward off stress and disease. John Denninger, HMS instructor in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, is leading a five-year study on how the ancient practices affect genes and brain activity in the chronically stressed. Research by Herbert Benson, mind/body medical institute professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, is also cited.
The Family Dinner Project, a growing grassroots movement, champions family dinner as an opportunity to have food, fun and conversation about things that matter. Family dinners are well-researched, with years of documented physical, mental health and academic benefits. Anne Fishel, HMS associate clinical professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a founding member of The Family Dinner Project, is quoted.
New Harvard research provides the strongest evidence to date that eating nuts can reduce a person’s risk of dying from cancer, heart disease and a number of other causes. Ying Bao, HMS instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is the first author of the study. Charles S. Fuchs, HMS professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is the senior author. Jeffrey Drazen, the Parker B. Francis Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and editor in chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, is also quoted.
Women who use oral contraceptives for several years or longer may want to consider having their eyes checked more regularly as they get older. New research suggests that the pills may double their lifetime risk of developing glaucoma, a degenerative eye disease that can cause blindness if left untreated. Research by Louis Pasquale, HMS associate professor of ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, is cited.
Families often do not understand what a “do not hospitalize” order means, a small study has found. Research by Susan Mitchell, HMS professor of medicine at Hebrew SeniorLife, is cited.
Boys who drink more milk during their teenage years might not see any drop in their risk for hip fractures as adults, new research suggests. Just the opposite: Their risk actually might rise. Diane Feskanich, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is the lead author.
New genome sequences from two extinct human relatives suggest that these ‘archaic’ groups bred with humans and with each other more extensively than was previously known. Research by David Reich, HMS professor of genetics, is cited.
The story of human evolution just got even more bizarre. The genome of an extinct hominin species, the Denisovans, contains unusual snippets of DNA that seem to have come from yet another group. David Reich, HMS professor of genetics, presented his findings at a Royal Society discussion meeting on ancient DNA on Monday.
Harvard University President Drew Faust warned Tuesday of continuing to cut scientific research budgets, saying even the nation’s wealthiest university is losing faculty to countries where governments are spending more on research.
