Jeff Volek

Last updated
Jeff Volek
OccupationKinesiologist

Jeff S. Volek is an American kinesiologist and low-carbohydrate diet advocate who focuses on the clinical application of ketogenic diets.

Volek obtained a MSc in Exercise Physiology in 1995 and PhD in Kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University in 1999. [1] He is a registered dietitian. [2]

Volek is a professor in the Department of Human Sciences at Ohio State University. [1] He has obtained over $7 million in research grants to study the health outcomes of low-carbohydrate diets. [3] [4] He co-founded Virta Health Corp and serves as Chief Science Officer. [1] As of 2023, Volek is investigating the use of ketogenic diets in brain metastases. [5]

Volek is on the advisory board of Atkins-HCP (owned by Atkins Nutritionals) and co-authored a book promoting a modified version of the Atkins diet. [4] [6] Volek promotes a diet high in saturated fat and has disputed the saturated fat guidelines. [7]

Volek's book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, co-authored with Stephen D. Phinney received an overall score of 74% by Red Pen Reviews, including a score of 63% for scientific accuracy. The review concluded that "we think Art and Science could be a useful book for people interested in low-carb diets, but they may want to view its scientific claims with some caution." [8]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated way to decrease, maintain, or increase body weight, or to prevent and treat diseases such as diabetes and obesity. As weight loss depends on calorie intake, different kinds of calorie-reduced diets, such as those emphasising particular macronutrients, have been shown to be no more effective than one another. As weight regain is common, diet success is best predicted by long-term adherence. Regardless, the outcome of a diet can vary widely depending on the individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atkins diet</span> Low-carbohydrate fad diet devised by Robert Atkins

The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate fad diet devised by Robert Atkins in the 1970s, marketed with claims that carbohydrate restriction is crucial to weight loss and that the diet offered "a high calorie way to stay thin forever".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ketosis</span> Using body fats as fuel instead of carbohydrates

Ketosis is a metabolic state characterized by elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood or urine. Physiological ketosis is a normal response to low glucose availability, such as low-carbohydrate diets or fasting, that provides an additional energy source for the brain in the form of ketones. In physiological ketosis, ketones in the blood are elevated above baseline levels, but the body's acid–base homeostasis is maintained. This contrasts with ketoacidosis, an uncontrolled production of ketones that occurs in pathologic states and causes a metabolic acidosis, which is a medical emergency. Ketoacidosis is most commonly the result of complete insulin deficiency in type 1 diabetes or late-stage type 2 diabetes. Ketone levels can be measured in blood, urine or breath and are generally between 0.5 and 3.0 millimolar (mM) in physiological ketosis, while ketoacidosis may cause blood concentrations greater than 10 mM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Atkins (physician)</span> American physician

Robert Coleman Atkins was an American physician and cardiologist, best known for the Atkins Diet, which requires close control of carbohydrate consumption and emphasizes protein and fat as the primary sources of dietary calories in addition to a controlled number of carbohydrates from vegetables.

The Zone diet is a fad diet emphasizing low-carbohydrate consumption. It was created by Barry Sears, an American biochemist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-carbohydrate diet</span> Diets restricting carbohydrate consumption

Low-carbohydrate diets restrict carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet. Foods high in carbohydrates are limited, and replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein, as well as low carbohydrate foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ketogenic diet</span> High-fat dietary therapy for epilepsy

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate dietary therapy that in conventional medicine is used mainly to treat hard-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.

David Ludwig is an American endocrinologist and low-carbohydrate diet advocate in Boston, Massachusetts.

The respiratory quotient is a dimensionless number used in calculations of basal metabolic rate (BMR) when estimated from carbon dioxide production. It is calculated from the ratio of carbon dioxide produced by the body to oxygen consumed by the body. Such measurements, like measurements of oxygen uptake, are forms of indirect calorimetry. It is measured using a respirometer. The respiratory quotient value indicates which macronutrients are being metabolized, as different energy pathways are used for fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. If metabolism consists solely of lipids, the respiratory quotient is approximately 0.7, for proteins it is approximately 0.8, and for carbohydrates it is 1.0. Most of the time, however, energy consumption is composed of both fats and carbohydrates. The approximate respiratory quotient of a mixed diet is 0.8. Some of the other factors that may affect the respiratory quotient are energy balance, circulating insulin, and insulin sensitivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Taubes</span> Science writer, born 1956

Gary Taubes is an American journalist, writer, and low-carbohydrate / high-fat (LCHF) diet advocate. His central claim is that carbohydrates, especially sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, overstimulate the secretion of insulin, causing the body to store fat in fat cells and the liver, and that it is primarily a high level of dietary carbohydrate consumption that accounts for obesity and other metabolic syndrome conditions. He is the author of Nobel Dreams (1987); Bad Science: The Short Life and Weird Times of Cold Fusion (1993); Good Calories, Bad Calories (2007), titled The Diet Delusion (2008) in the UK and Australia; Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It (2010); The Case Against Sugar (2016); and The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating (2020). Taubes's work often goes against accepted scientific, governmental, and popular tenets such as that obesity is caused by eating too much and exercising too little and that excessive consumption of fat, especially saturated fat in animal products, leads to cardiovascular disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Mosley (broadcaster)</span> British journalist, producer and presenter

Michael Mosley is a British television journalist, producer, presenter, and former doctor who has worked for the BBC since 1985. He is probably best known as a presenter of television programmes on biology and medicine and his regular appearances on The One Show. Mosley is an intermittent fasting and low-carbohydrate diet advocate who has written books promoting the ketogenic diet.

The South Beach Diet is a popular fad diet developed by Arthur Agatston and promoted in a best-selling 2003 book. It emphasizes eating food with a low glycemic index, and categorizes carbohydrates and fats as "good" or "bad". Like other fad diets, it may have elements which are generally recognized as sensible, but it promises benefits not backed by supporting evidence or sound science.

Ronald M. Krauss is an American professor of pediatrics, medical researcher and low-carbohydrate diet advocate. He studies genetic, dietary, and hormonal effects on plasma lipoproteins and coronary disease risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weight management</span> Techniques for maintaining body weight

Weight management refers to behaviors, techniques, and physiological processes that contribute to a person's ability to attain and maintain a healthy weight. Most weight management techniques encompass long-term lifestyle strategies that promote healthy eating and daily physical activity. Moreover, weight management involves developing meaningful ways to track weight over time and to identify ideal body weights for different individuals.

Fred Pescatore is a Manhattan-based author and internist who specializes in nutrition. He is best known as the author of the bestselling children's health book Feed Your Kids Well (1998) and The Hamptons Diet (2004).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Eenfeldt</span> Swedish doctor

Andreas Eenfeldt is a Swedish doctor specializing in family medicine. He is an advocate for low-carbohydrate high-fat diets and has criticized the saturated fat guidelines. Eenfeldt was born in 1972 and graduated from medical school at Uppsala University. A few years later, he started DietDoctor.com, a website focused on low-carbohydrate diets. He became a public figure in a heated debate over the merits of the diet.

A cardiac diet also known as a heart healthy diet is a diet focus on reducing sodium, fat and cholesterol intake. The diet concentrates on reducing "foods containing saturated fats and trans fats" and substituting them with "mono and polyunsaturated fats". The diet advocates increasing intake of "complex carbohydrates, soluble fiber and omega 3 fatty acids" and is recommended for people with cardiovascular disease or people looking for a healthier diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protein Power</span> Commercial diet strategy

Protein Power is a high-protein, low carbohydrate fad diet developed by physician Michael R. Eades and his wife Mary Dan Eades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mynie Gustav Peterman</span> American paediatrician

Mynie Gustav Peterman was an American pediatrician known for formulating the classic ketogenic diet (CKD) to treat epilepsy in children.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jeff Volek". ehe.osu.edu. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  2. "Jeff Volek, Ph.D.". hdiac.org. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  3. "Jeff S. Volek, Ph.D., R.D.". u.osu.edu. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Jeff S. Volek, PhD., RD., F.A.C.N.". atkins-hcp.com. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  5. "Investigating the Use of Ketogenic Diets in Brain Metastases". clinicaltrials.gov. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  6. 1 2 "New Atkins For a New You".penguin.com.au. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  7. "Stop Blaming Saturated Fat". menshealth.com. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  8. "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable". redpenreviews.org. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  9. "Men's Health TNT Diet". penguinrandomhouse.com. Retrieved 1 March 2023.