Tufts University
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
150 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02111
The Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory is a pioneer in the study of gene-diet interactions in the area of cardiovascular diseases, utilizing both genetic epidemiology approaches as well as controlled dietary intervention studies.
In the winter of 1944, the western Netherlands faced a famine of epic proportions. A Nazi blockade had stopped all food or fuel from entering the region, forcing residents to eat whatever they could scrounge up—sometimes even grass or tulip bulbs. Many consumed as little as 600 calories a day, and by the time the famine eased that spring, more than 20,000 people had starved to death.
When it comes to studying the causes of weight gain and obesity, nutrition researchers rightly focus on the interaction between diet and exercise. They’re just starting to understand the influence of an activity that humans engage in for a third of their lives—sleep.
José Ordovás' research focus is molecular biology; nutrition and genetics; and lipoproteins and cardiovascular disease risk. He is a professor at the Friedman School, as well as a senior scientist and director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory at the HNRCA.
