Dr. Wessel Du Toit

Wessel Du Toit is a cardiovascular researcher associated with the African-PREDICT study, a large prospective cohort focused on early detection of cardiovascular disease and hypertension in young adults. His work centers on cardiometabolic health, with particular attention to how lifestyle and socio-economic risk factors influence early vascular and cardiac changes in African populations.

His publications highlight the application of targeted urinary metabolomics to uncover metabolic pathways linked to arterial stiffness, cardiac structural alterations, kidney function, and blood pressure regulation. By integrating metabolite profiling with echocardiography and vascular assessments, his research identifies shifts in amino acid metabolism, energy pathways, oxidative stress, and the renin–angiotensin system as early markers of cardiovascular vulnerability.

Du Toit’s contributions advance understanding of subclinical cardiovascular remodeling in apparently healthy young adults, emphasizing ethnic and socio-economic disparities. The body of work demonstrates strong expertise in translational cardiometabolic research and biomarker discovery, offering insights into mechanisms that may precede overt cardiovascular and renal disease.