Nutrisystem is a commercial provider of weight loss products and services headquartered in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
Company history
Nutrisystem's initial product in 1972 was a liquid protein diet, but the company changed its offering after Slim-Fast came to prominence in that market.[1]
The company originally offered weight loss counseling and products in brick and mortar centers, but in 1999, Nutrisystem moved to a direct-to-consumer business model, selling its products and programs on the Internet and by telephone.[2]
The company launched its mobile platform in 2010. WebDiet, Inc., a Silicon Valley startup, accused Nutrisystem of stealing their technology, but the case was dismissed in May, 2014.[3][4][5]
In December 2018, Tivity Health announced that it would acquire the Nutrisystem brand.[7]
On October 19, 2020, Kainos Capital acquired the brand from Tivity Health.[8]
In 2021, Stephen Mikulak was named President of Nutrisystem.[9]
The company is known for its celebrity marketing, which has included Marie Osmond in national advertising.[10] One of its primary competitors is Weight Watchers with the rivalry deemed "diet wars" by the media. [11]
Efficacy and criticism
A systematic review in 2015 concluded that Nutrisystem "shows promise" because, in the short term, studies have shown that Nutrisystem was more effective at weight-loss than a control group, but found no studies of long-term efficacy.[12]
As of 2019[update], four weeks of a basic Nutrisystem plan costs the average American customer $274.99.[13] In light of this expense, the Mayo Clinic lists one of the disadvantages of the diet to be its potentially "prohibitive" cost.[14] Obesity specialist Fatima Cody Stanford writes that a potential disadvantage of the diet is that it complicates social eating because a person following the Nutrisystem plan has to follow a distinct dietary program.[13]
References
^Longe JL, ed. (2008). "Nutrisystem". Gale Encyclopedia of Diets. Vol. 2. Gale Group. pp. 722–726.
^Gudzune KA, Doshi RS, Mehta AK, Chaudhry ZW, Jacobs DK, Vakil RM, Lee CJ, Bleich SN, Clark JM (April 2015). "Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review". Ann Intern Med. 162 (7): 501–12. doi:10.7326/M14-2238. PMC4446719. PMID25844997. Nutrisystem demonstrates better short-term weight loss than control/education and behavioral counseling; however, we identified no long-term trial results. We conclude that Nutrisystem shows promise, but the lack of long-term RCTs prohibits definitive conclusions.
^ abStanford FC (6 November 2018). "Chapter 10: Weight-loss programs". In Stevens JR, Stern TA (eds.). Facing Overweight and Obesity: A Complete Guide for Children and Adults. MGH Psychiatry Academy. pp. 127–128. ISBN978-0-9991483-5-8.
