Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh (born October 1963) is an Iranian-American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

doing research in

nephrology Nephrology (from Greek'' nephros'' "kidney", combined with the suffix ''-logy'', "the study of") is a specialty of adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (ren ...

kidney dialysis Kidney dialysis (from Greek , , 'dissolution'; from , , 'through', and , , 'loosening or splitting') is the process of removing excess water, solutes, and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions natura ...

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...

, and

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

. He is best known as a specialist in kidney disease nutrition and

chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of kidney disease in which a gradual loss of kidney function occurs over a period of months to years. Initially generally no symptoms are seen, but later symptoms may include leg swelling, feeling tired, vo ...

and for his hypothesis about the longevity of individuals with chronic disease states, also known as reverse epidemiology including

obesity paradox The obesity paradox is the finding in some studies of a lower mortality rate for overweight or obese people within certain subpopulations. The paradox has been observed in people with cardiovascular disease and cancer. Explanations for the paradox ...

. According to this hypothesis,

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

or hypercholesterolemia may counterintuitively be protective and associated with greater survival in certain groups of people, such as

elderly Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

individuals,

dialysis Dialysis may refer to: *Dialysis (chemistry), a process of separating molecules in solution **Electrodialysis, used to transport salt ions from one solution to another through an ion-exchange membrane under the influence of an applied electric pote ...

patients, or those with chronic disease states and wasting syndrome (

cachexia Cachexia () is a complex syndrome associated with an underlying illness, causing ongoing muscle loss that is not entirely reversed with nutritional supplementation. A range of diseases can cause cachexia, most commonly cancer, congestive heart f ...

), whereas normal to low

body mass index Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (weight) and height of a person. The BMI is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height, and is expressed in units of kg/m2, resulting from mass in kilograms and he ...

or normal values of serum

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

may be detrimental and associated with worse

mortality Mortality is the state of being mortal, or susceptible to death; the opposite of immortality. Mortality may also refer to: * Fish mortality, a parameter used in fisheries population dynamics to account for the loss of fish in a fish stock throug ...

. Kalantar-Zadeh is also known for his expertise in

therapy, including incremental

, as well as renal

. He is the brother of

Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh (born in November 1971) is an Australian scientist involved in research in the fields of materials sciences, electronics, and transducers. He is best known for his works on two-dimensional semiconductors, ingestible sen ...

, who an Australian scientist involved in research in the fields of materials sciences,

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

, and transducers.

Education

Kalantar-Zadeh received his education in

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

from the

University of Bochum The Ruhr University Bochum (, ) is a public research university located in the southern hills of the central Ruhr area, Bochum, Germany. It was founded in 1962 as the first new public university in Germany after World War II. Instruction began in ...

and

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

(Germany) and his

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

degree from the

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

(Germany). In addition, he obtained a master's degree in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

(

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

, MPH) and a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He is a practicing triple

board certified Board certification is the process by which a physician or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, practical, or simulator-based testing. Certification bodies There are more than 25 boards that ...

physician specialist in internal medicine,

pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...

, and

. Kalantar-Zadeh completed his residency at the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

and his nephrology fellowship at the

University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It cond ...

Career

Kalantar-Zadeh was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and was based at the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at

Harbor–UCLA Medical Center Harbor–UCLA Medical Center, is a 570-bed public teaching hospital located at 1000 West Carson Street in West Carson, an unincorporated area within Los Angeles County, California. As implied by the name, the hospital is owned by the Los Angeles ...

(2000-2012), where he worked with his former mentor

Joel D. Kopple Joel D. Kopple is an American professor, physician, and clinical investigator in medicine, nephrology, nutrition, and public health. He is professor at David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. He served from ...

and served as the founding director of the

Harold Simmons Harold Clark Simmons (May 13, 1931 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist whose banking expertise helped him develop the acquisition concept known as the leveraged buyout (LBO) to acquire various corporat ...

Center for Chronic Disease Research and Epidemiology. In 2012 Kalantar-Zadeh moved to the

University of California, Irvine School of Medicine The University of California, Irvine School of Medicine (UC Irvine School of Medicine or UCI School of Medicine) is an LCME accredited medical school, co-located in Orange County's cities of Irvine on the University of California, Irvine campus ...

as a tenured

, and

Nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

Sciences, and chief of

Nephrology Nephrology (from Greek'' nephros'' "kidney", combined with the suffix ''-logy'', "the study of") is a specialty of adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (ren ...

, and the UC Irvine Medical Center. He also serves as a part-time staff physician at Tibor-Rubin VA Medical center in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, under the Veterans Health Administration. Kalantar-Zadeh has remained an adjunct professor of

at Fielding

UCLA School of Public Health The UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health is the graduate school of public health at UCLA, and is located within the Center for Health Sciences building on UCLA's campus in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California ...

. Kalantar-Zadeh has authored or coauthored over 800 research articles and reviews, which have been cited over 50,000 times, giving him an

h-index The ''h''-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications, initially used for an individual scientist or scholar. The ''h''-index correlates with obvious success indicators such as winn ...

of >100. In addition, Kalantar-Zadeh is editor-in-chief of the

Journal of Renal Nutrition The ''Journal of Renal Nutrition'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal. It is published by Elsevier on behalf of the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism and the Council on Renal Nutrition of the National Kidney Foundat ...

, and an associate editor of the

Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle The ''Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed medical journal that covers research relevant to changes in body composition, especially cachexia and sarcopenia, as consequences of chronic illnesses or of the aging p ...

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation The ''Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal. It is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Renal Association - European Dialysis and Transplant Association. It is abstracted and in ...

., and Clinical Nutrition, and a member of the editorial boards of the ''

Journal of the American Society of Nephrology The ''Journal of the American Society of Nephrology'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering nephrology. It was established in 1966 and is published by the American Society of Nephrology. The editor-in-chief is Josephine P. Briggs. According ...

'', '' Kidney International'', ''

American Journal of Kidney Diseases The ''American Journal of Kidney Diseases'' (AJKD) is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of nephrology. It is the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation and is published by Elsevier. The journal publishes o ...

'', ''

Nutrients A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

'', and several other peer reviewed journals in Nephrology and Nutrition. Kalantar-Zadeh is the past president of the

International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism The International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM) is a learned society on nephrology that has the objective of advancing knowledge, education and awareness pertaining to nutrition and metabolism in kidney disease by fostering co ...

and the co-chair of the international steering committee of the World Kidney Day. Kalantar-Zadeh first proposed reverse epidemiology in articles in the journal '' Kidney International'' in 2003 and in the '' Journal of the American College of Cardiology'' in 2004. It is a contradiction to prevailing concepts of prevention of atherosclerosis and

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

. In an interview with

Nature Magazine ''Nature'' is a British weekly scientific journal founded and based in London, England. As a multidisciplinary publication, ''Nature'' features peer-reviewed research from a variety of academic disciplines, mainly in science and technology. It ...

in 2016, Kalantar-Zadeh stated that

is like “that guy who led you to prison, utbecomes your friend in prison." Kalantar-Zadeh has also contributed extensively to the fields of

and kidney disease

including an invited review paper in the '' New England Journal of Medicine'' in 2017 on nutritional management of

, in that he recommends low protein diet for conservative management of

to delay

initiation but

high protein diet A high-protein diet is a diet in which 20% or more of the total daily calories comes from protein.Longe, Jacqueline L. (2008). ''High-protein diet''. In ''The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition''. Gale. pp. 524-526. Most ...

for

patients without residual kidney function. Kalantar-Zadeh has published extensively on

and

end-stage renal disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of kidney disease in which a gradual loss of kidney function occurs over a period of months to years. Initially generally no symptoms are seen, but later symptoms may include leg swelling, feeling tired, vom ...

including

with focus on incremental transition to dialysis therapy with initially less frequent hemodialysis treatment. Kalantar-Zadeh has first-authored three review and perspective articles in the New England Journal of Medicine including a 2013 case records paper on

metabolic acidosis Metabolic acidosis is a serious electrolyte disorder characterized by an imbalance in the body's acid-base balance. Metabolic acidosis has three main root causes: increased acid production, loss of bicarbonate, and a reduced ability of the kidneys ...

due to metformin toxicity, a 2017 renal nutrition review paper., and a 2020 perspective article on ensuring choice for people with

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

. as well as a 2021 review paper in

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...

preserving therapy in persons with

References

External links

UC Irvine Faculty Profile

Fielding UCLA School of Public Health Profile

Oxford Journals Bibliography of Kalantar-Zadeh

World Kidney Day
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar 1963 births Living people American nephrologists American epidemiologists UCLA School of Public Health faculty Alborz High School alumni University of California, San Francisco alumni UC Berkeley School of Public Health alumni University of Bonn alumni University of Erlangen-Nuremberg alumni