Eliseo Guallar MD, MPH

Dr. Guallar’s work is focused on the study of cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention, in particular in evaluating the role of environmental and nutritional exposures in the development of the cardiovascular disease. Dr. Guallar has published seminal papers showing that metals, at exposure levels widely thought to be safe, have a measurable impact on cardiovascular risk factors, clinical outcomes, and mortality. Mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic may all have important cardiovascular effects at low concentrations. Dr. Guallar has published multiple studies in this area, and he is a leading figure contributing to this emerging literature.

In addition to his work in toxic metals, Dr. Guallar has made important contributions to understanding the impact of certain micronutrients (some of them of environmental origin) on cardiovascular health. Dr. Guallar’s work on vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin C, three antioxidants widely used in supplements, has had a wide impact beyond the academic community. Together with Drs. Miller and Appel at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Guallar published a seminal paper showing that high-dose vitamin E supplements increase total mortality, a publication that was instrumental in changing consumer’s habits and attitudes towards high-dose vitamin supplements. In addition, Dr. Guallar’s work on the potential cardiometabolic effects of selenium is highly innovative and relevant, and it is quickly advancing our understanding of this essential micronutrient.

While Dr. Guallar’s work has been traditionally centered in the interface of environmental and nutritional determinants of cardiovascular research, he has also developed a wide network of collaborators and trainees that are allowing him to extend his research interests into new populations and new outcomes, including studies that are designed for more effective screening and identification of subjects at high risk of disease. For instance, Dr. Guallar is working with Drs. Shin, Ryu, Cho, and Chang at the Samsung Kangbuk Hospital (South Korea), in a large cohort study that will provide detailed health information on over 500,000 Korean men and women over 10 years of follow-up. These studies will expand the range of exposures and participant characteristics that Dr. Guallar can evaluate in trying to understand the development and improve control of the disease.