U.S. News & World Report ranks top 38 diets
WASHINGTON - U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released the 2016 Best Diets, a web portal featuring rankings and information on longstanding and new diet plans to help the estimated 45 million Americans who diet each year achieve healthier lifestyles.
U.S. News' panel of health experts ranked 38 diets, naming DASH the Best Overall Diet for the sixth year in a row. The MIND diet, a new addition to the 2016 list, follows at No. 2, tied with the TLC diet.
Weight Watchers continues to be the No. 1 Weight-Loss Diet and is tied with the Mayo Clinic Diet as the Best Commercial Diet. In the inaugural ranking of Fast Weight-Loss Diets, the HMR program and Biggest Loser Diet tie at No. 1.
In addition to the MIND diet, U.S. News added two other diets to the 2016 rankings: the Whole30 diet and the Fertility Diet.
The MIND diet, credited with preserving cognitive abilities, takes two proven diets – DASH and Mediterranean – and zeroes in on foods that promote brain health. The plan takes a top rank on the main list in part because it is also the No. 1 Easiest Diet to Follow, tied with Weight Watchers and the Fertility Diet. The Fertility Diet, which claims certain changes in diet, weight and activity can help you get pregnant faster, also debuts as the No. 1 Diet for Diabetes partly because of its elimination of trans fats.
The Whole30 diet, a 30-day program that bans processed foods, legumes, grains, dairy, alcohol and added sugar, ranks at No. 38 on the overall list – a spot previously held by two other popular diets, Paleo and the Dukan Diet. The Raw Food diet and Atkins are also at the bottom of rankings categories like the Best Diets for Healthy Eating, and are tied at No. 34 on the main list. At No. 38 in the Easiest Diets to Follow category, Raw Food was deemed the most difficult diet to follow.
"Our rankings put hard numbers on the belief that no one diet is ideal for everybody, but the best food plans overall are sustainable," said Angela Haupt, senior health editor at U.S. News. "Besides the rankings and data, each diet has a detailed profile that includes how it works, evidence that supports or refutes its claims and a nutritional snapshot – tools that, along with the advice of a physician or nutritionist, can help consumers invest in diets that suit their lifestyles and further their health and wellness goals."
U.S. News' panel of health experts includes nutritionists and physicians specializing in diabetes, heart health and weight loss, who scored each diet for short- and long-term weight loss, ease of compliance, safety and nutrition. Diets were ranked in nine categories, including diabetes and heart disease prevention and control, as well as easiness to follow and likelihood of weight loss.