Mario Kratz, PhD
Founder & Director
My name is Mario, and I am a nutrition researcher from Seattle, WA. Welcome to this website.
In my youth, I was like most other teenagers: I was not at all concerned about my health or diet, and just ate whatever I wanted. That changed when two close relatives experienced major health challenges at a young age. I became seriously interested in how our diet and lifestyle affect our health, and what we can do to prevent – or reverse – chronic disease. I pursued first a Master’s and then a PhD degree in Nutrition Sciences, both from the University of Bonn in Germany. I then moved to Seattle to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington. A few years later, I joined the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (or Fred Hutch), also in Seattle, WA, as a faculty member. Until June of 2021, I held the position of Associate Professor in the Cancer Prevention Program, part of the Public Health Sciences Division, at Fred Hutch. I was also a faculty member in the Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine as well as the Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington. I still hold an appointment as a (non-employee) Affiliate Investigator at Fred Hutch, and continue to be involved in several clinical research projects. However, I am now dedicating the majority of my time to the development of Nourished by Science, with the goal of providing trustworthy, rigorous, and evidence-based information about nutrition, health, and chronic disease to a community of individuals who share my passion for science and a healthy lifestyle.
During my tenure in academia, my laboratory conducted clinical research to improve our understanding of the relationship between diet, obesity, and chronic diseases. A major focus of our work was on metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. We were particularly interested in the mechanisms through which diet affects energy homeostasis (i.e., how the body regulates weight and fat mass) and processes that contribute to chronic disease, such as low-grade chronic inflammation, excessive fat accumulation in the liver, or insulin resistance. You can find my scientific publications on my Google Scholar profile or on my full academic CV.
As a core faculty member of the Nutrition Sciences Program at the University of Washington, I used to regularly mentor students in Master’s and PhD programs in nutrition or epidemiology. I also used to teach a course in Nutritional Epidemiology (NUTR 538 / EPI 538) for many years that focused heavily on the methods used in observational studies and randomized controlled trials. I have served on the editorial board of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) since 2016, and used to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) between 2016 and 2019.
Currently, I live in Seattle, WA, with my wife and our two children. In addition to the science of nutrition do I enjoy the practical applications of nutrition, i.e., gardening, cooking, and – of course – eating. I love hiking through the beautiful Pacific Northwest forests, yoga, playing squash, the game of Go (and board games in general), reading, long walks, lounging in hammocks, and anything that involves my family.
Please note that this website is not related to my prior employment at Fred Hutch, my prior academic appointments at the University of Washington, or my editorial board activities. All posts are based on my own independent work, and not related in any way to Fred Hutch, the University of Washington, or the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.