It's a new year and adopting healthy lifestyles and losing weight are top priorities for many Americans. To help jump start healthier eating habits, U.S. News & World Report has released its fifth annual Best Diets of 2015 rankings evaluating some of the country's most popular diets.

For the fifth consecutive year, Emory Heart & Vascular Center cardiologist Laurence Sperling, MD was invited to be a member of the panel of 22 health experts who advise U.S. News on the top diets of the year. The panel includes nationally recognized experts in diet, nutrition, obesity, food psychology, diabetes and heart disease.

Sperling and his panel colleagues scored 35 diets on seven specific measures, including short- and long-term weight loss, ease of compliance, safety and nutrition. U.S. News factored experts' ratings into its methodology to develop eight diet rankings to address a broad range of consumers' weight loss and lifestyle goals. 

Laurence Sperling

"This year, similar to past years, we not only analyzed diets for their weight loss potential but also for their protection against diabetes, heart disease and other preventable health conditions," says Sperling. "The rankings explain how each diet works and offer insight about what it's like to live on these diets. This is a big help for consumers who are often presented with the task of choosing from many different diet options.”

Some of the diet rankings in Best Diets 2015 include Best Diets Overall, Best Diabetes Diets, Best Weight-Loss Diets, Easiest Diets to Follow and Best Plant-Based Diets.

Currently serving as president of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology, Sperling is the medical director of preventive cardiology at Emory Healthcare and professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. He serves as medical director for a number of unique programs at Emory. He founded (in 2004) and directs the first and only LDL apheresis program in the state of Georgia.

For information on Best Diets 2015, please visit www.usnews.com/bestdiets.