Associate Epidemiologist, Department of Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital

eric.rimm@channing.harvard.edu

My main research interest is studying associations between diet and other lifestyle characteristics and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Essential to this work is the careful development and documentation of the validity of assessing these exposures through self-reported questionnaires.

As Project Director of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a prospective investigation of diet and chronic disease among 50,000 male health professionals. I have taken a special interest in understanding associations between intake of B vitamins and antioxidants from diet or supplements that may aid in preventing coronary heart disease and cancer. With the addition of a biological component of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, his current research explores gene-diet interactions and associations between diet, biomarkers, and subsequent cardiovascular disease.

Recent funding has been obtained from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to study the effects of drinking patterns or biomarkers of chronic disease. This work will focus on alcohol drinking and its effects on blood lipids, coagulation factors, homocysteine, vitamins, and insulin measures among men and women. In addition to the assessment of the influence of different alcohol drinking patterns on these biomarkers, work will also focus on the direct association between alcohol consumption and risk of diabetes, gallstones, blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and total mortality.

Current ongoing research includes the investigation of dietary fiber, obesity (and weight fluctuations), and physical activity and their association with diabetes, gallstones, and cardiovascular disease.

Grobbee DE, Rimm EB, Giovannucci E, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Coffee, caffeine, and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med. 1990 Oct 11;323(15):1026-32. [abstract]

Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Ascheiro A, Giovannucci E, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease in men. N Engl J Med. 1993 May 20;328(20):1450-6. [abstract]

Rimm EB, Ascheiro A, Giovannucci E, Spiegelman D, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Vegetable, fruit, and cereal fiber intake and risk of coronary heart disease among men. JAMA. 1996 Feb 14;275(6):447-51. [abstract]

Rimm EB, Klatsky A, Grobbee D, Stampfer MJ. Review of moderate alcohol consumption, and reduced risk of coronary heart disease; is the effect due to beer, wine or spirits? BMJ. 1996 Mar 23;312(7033):731-6. Review. [abstract]

Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB, Sampson L, Colditz GA, Manson JE, Hennekens CH, Stampfer MJ. Folate and vitamin B6 from diet and supplements in relation to risk of coronary heart disease among women. JAMA. 1998 Feb 4;279(5):359-64. [abstract]