Findings from the New Mayo Clinic Diet assessment of 1 million+ Americans

Apr 1, 2023 | Tara Schmidt | @taraschmidt

Last month, the New Mayo Clinic Diet announced findings from their Diet Assessment Tool, an online quiz that queried over a million Americans about their dietary behaviors. One of the chief findings of the Diet Assessment survey was that respondents reported a need to lose an average of 55 pounds in order to achieve a healthy body mass index (BMI) score. Collectively, respondents had a total of 40 million pounds to lose!

Over one million Americans have taken the Mayo Clinic Diet Assessment survey, making it one of the largest surveys of its kind. The free, online, three-minute Diet Assessment was designed to help participants discover how individual mindset and motivation contribute to a successful weight-loss journey. It includes insights for staying focused on goals as well as tips for making weight loss more enjoyable.

“The Mayo Clinic Diet is committed to supporting Americans in their health journey by redefining the word ‘diet’ to mean a health-focused, sustainable, support program, for life,” said Donald D. Hensrud, MD, Medical Editor of The Mayo Clinic Diet. “Focusing too much on the outcome goal of losing 55 pounds is not likely to be effective. This survey affirms that most consumers need help making the dietary and lifestyle modifications that can last. Thankfully, the Mayo Clinic Diet offers unparalleled medical and nutritional expertise that aids our members in achieving and maintaining not just a healthy weight, but healthy habits.”

Another major finding of the Diet Assessment Survey is that 55% of those who took the Assessment reported trying, without long-term success, more than five different diets before finding the Mayo Clinic Diet.

“Most diets, including some of the most popular ones, only serve as temporary fixes,” observes Dr. Hensrud. “What’s needed is a lifestyle modification program, such as the Mayo Clinic Diet, that forms new healthy eating habits that provide participants with lasting results.”

In addition to findings from the public-facing Diet Assessment survey, the Mayo Clinic Diet also revealed findings of a survey conducted of the 20,000+ Mayo Clinic Diet members who began their journey with the online program and found:
• 69% of members surveyed saw improvements in health conditions by following the Mayo Clinic Diet.
• Members who used the Mayo Clinic Habit Optimizer and recorded at least five habits a day lost three times more weight in the first two weeks compared to those who tracked less than five habits a day.
• Those who use Mayo Clinic Diet’s app, trackers and accountability tools from the Digital Wellness platform lose three times more weight than those who start but don’t complete the program.
• Mayo Clinic Diet members who use the Habit Optimizer lose an average of five lbs. within their first two weeks and 11.7 lbs after 12 weeks.
• Mayo Clinic Diet members have a Diet Score 13 points higher than non-members.

The New Mayo Clinic Diet is the official dietary program developed by the Mayo Clinic. It reflects the latest advances in dietary research and provides new tools to make following its simple steps even more effortless. Members can choose from flexible meal plans that include Vegetarian, Mediterranean, High Protein, and a new Healthy Keto program.

The program has earned the highest review from members in the US weight loss category from Trustpilot (Trustpilot 4.5), making it the highest rated online diet program in America. The program, built on an all-new digital platform from Digital Wellness, has tools and trackers to help members lose 3x more weight than people who did not use this platform. The program also includes a private Facebook group where members can connect and support each other. Members are also supported through their journey via group coaching sessions and free e-books. Members can also include in their journey other resources including Mayo Clinic Press’ Cook Smart Eat Well cookbook and the new Third Edition Mayo Clinic Diet Book. Both of these books are included in eBook form with a Diet membership.

To learn more about the New Mayo Clinic Diet, and to sign up for the program, visit: The New Mayo Clinic Diet