Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications

Anthony Komaroff is the Steven P. Simcox/Patrick A. Clifford/James H. Higby Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Senior Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Health Publications. He was Director of the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Brigham and Women's Hospital for 15 years and is the Founding Editor of Journal Watch, a summary medical information newsletter for physicians published by the Massachusetts Medical Society/New England Journal of Medicine. A practicing physician, Dr. Komaroff also teaches courses on clinical medicine and clinical research methods at Harvard Medical School. He has served as an advisory board member for the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and for the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of over 200 journal articles and book chapters and of one book. In recognition of his accomplishments, Dr. Komaroff has been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Posts by Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Are artificial sweeteners a healthy substitute for sugar?

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications
Sugar_substitutes

Although short-term studies suggest that switching from sugar to calorie-free sweeteners can help people lose weight, the December 2011 Harvard Health Letter explores the possibility that it may actually promote weight gain. Use of super-sweet artificial sweeteners may desensitize users to sweetness. Healthful foods like fruits and vegetables may become unappetizing by comparison. As a result, the overall quality of the diet may decline. The calories removed from the diet by the sugar-for-sweetener swap may sneak back in, in the form of refined carbohydrates and low-quality fats. Another concern is that artificial sweeteners could cause weight gain by directly stimulating the development of new fat cells.

Read more »
Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Don’t let food poisoning spoil your holiday party

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications
Salmonella

In the movie “Wedding Crashers,” Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn made party crashing seem like harmless fun. A different sort of party crasher—microbes with names like Campylobacter and Salmonella (pictured to the right)—sicken nearly 50 million Americans each year. Holiday buffets and dinners are a more inviting setting for the microbes that cause food poisoning [...]

Read more »
Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Coping with grief and loss during the holidays

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications
Candle-light

Family and togetherness are key themes for the holidays. That can make the holidays awfully difficult for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.  My father passed away a month before the holidays.  We still shared presents, ate large meals, visited with friends, even sang carols—but it was all pretty subdued. “If [...]

Read more »
Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Social networks can affect weight, happiness

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications
Social_network

The new science of social networks is demonstrating how personal interconnections can affect our health. Ideas and habits that influence health for better or for worse can spread through social networks in much the same way that germs spread through communities. An article in the December issue of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch explores how social networks can affect weight and mood. A study of people taking part in the Framingham Heart Study found that among participants who had a friend become obese, their chance of becoming obese rose by 57%. A different study from Framingham showed that happiness can also spread across social networks. Research into social networks could help experts some day use them to improve public health.

Read more »
Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Three reports to help with holiday health and emotional challenges

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications

With Veterans Day and Halloween behind us, we are moving full steam ahead to the holidays, the stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day (or Super Bowl Sunday, depending on your perspective). The holidays can be a wonderful time, full of friends, family, and fun. But they can also generate pressures and situations that undermine health. To help you enjoy a healthy and happy holiday season, Harvard Health Publications is offering three Special Health Reports that focus on common holiday challenges: depression, overuse of alcohol, and healthy eating.

Read more »
Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Ask Doctor K: a new forum for health questions

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications
askdrk

For years, Dr. Anthony Komaroff has answered his patients’ questions one-on-one. With the launch of Ask Doctor K, a daily newspaper column that appears in 450 newspapers, he will be answering questions from people across the U.S and beyond via daily newspaper and the Internet (at AskDoctorK.com). Dr. Komaroff is a practicing physician, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Editor in Chief of Harvard Health Publications. In the column, he will offer clear answers and straight advice to readers’ questions, talk about new treatments that are available today or will be soon, and focus on proven changes in lifestyle that can keep readers healthy, help them cope with chronic diseases, and improve their quality of life.

Read more »
Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Why we do what we do: good health information can save lives

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications

My colleagues at Harvard Health Publications and I have a mission: to provide accurate, reliable information that will help readers live healthier lives. We work hard to fulfill that mission, and the feedback we get from folks who read our newsletters, Special Health Reports, books, and online health information indicates we are on the right [...]

Read more »
Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

This week from HHP: Health apps, office noise, and hemorrhoid cream for the eyes?

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications

As usual, Harvard Health Publications’ writers and editors have been busy covering a range of health topics. Here is a small sampling. To read more, visit us at www.health.harvard.edu. Health apps. Smart phones like the iPhone and Android aren’t just phones. They are also pocket-sized computers capable of running sophisticated applications, or apps. Hundreds of [...]

Read more »
Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

This week from HHP: The science of fright

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications

Crisp autumn weather, flickering jack-o-lanterns, costumed children trick-or-treating—and a good fright or two—make for a great Halloween. What is it about getting scared by a haunted house, a roller coaster, or a bungee jump that some people find exhilarating and others find downright frightening? It could be how you are wired, writes Dr. Robert Shmerling [...]

Read more »