'Volumetrics' ranked top diet plan by Consumer Reports

'Volumetrics' ranked top diet plan by Consumer Reports

University Park, Pa. --- Consumer Reports ranked "The Volumetrics Eating Plan," based on research by Barbara Rolls, the holder of the Guthrie Chair of Nutrition at Penn State, as the top-rated diet in its new June issue, released today (May 8).

"Recent clinical trials show the best overall weight loss of any diet evaluated," said the Consumer Reports article. "Based on research at Penn State, the diet aims to maximize the amount of food available per calories, mainly by use of reduced-fat products, liberal addition of vegetables and low-fat cooking techniques."

The overall evaluation included Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Slim-Fast, eDiets, The Zone, Ornish and Atkins Diets.

" 'Volumetrics' translates the science into practical advice for both healthy eating and weight management," said Rolls, a professor of nutritional sciences in the College of Health and Human Development. "Research from our lab at Penn State suggests simple strategies, such as eating soup or salad at the start of a meal, that help people to manage hunger and reduce calories."

The concept of "Volumetrics" -- eating a satisfying volume of food while controlling calories and meeting nutrient requirements -- is based on a series of studies led by Rolls over the past decade in the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior. This spring, the paperback edition of her book, "The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories," is being published by HarperCollins.

Newsweek also profiled the Volumetrics plan in its March 10 issue as "the most popular diet you've never heard of. It doesn't have the zing of The Zone or the image of bronzed beauties from South Beach. But it's been gaining currency with nutritionists and dieters alike for its simplicity and the fact that it's backed by recent peer-reviewed studies at a time when other diet plans have been losing favor." The story is available at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17537369/site/newsweek/ online.

An obesity scientist, Rolls has been studying psychological and physiological controls of food intake and selection in normal weight and obese humans across the life span.

The laboratory's research is dedicated to advancing the understanding of human eating behavior, with particular emphasis on understanding the causes of obesity. The research has been supported by the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.