BINGHAMTON, NY – The Binghamton University Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program is currently seeking participants for a research study involving dietary changes. This 12-week program will give participants a diet guide and monitor their physical changes.

"When individuals watch what they eat they begin to see healthy outcomes. The primary goal of this study is to understand the consequences of different diets," said Sudhindra Rao, EvoS PhD candidate. "There are countless diets, but relatively few of them have scientific backing, and even fewer lead to healthier lifestyles."

Over the course of the study, changes to each participant’s body will be monitored. Waist circumference, body fat percentage and weight will be measured at three different times. Dietary habits will also be recorded through logs to allow the investigators to study the relationship between diet and body composition.                                                          

Rao hopes that that his study will help in contributing to scientific understanding towards different diets and their effects on weight and body composition. Participants will receive more details and dietary guidelines at an introductory seminar (date TBA).

"Most diets reach fad-level status by means of influential cookbooks or anecdotal evidence presented by friends and family," Rao said. "Here, we present a scientific study, without compromising scientific merit, to study different diets and their outcomes."

The study, currently underway, ends Sept. 16. Interested participants can e-mail evolifestyle@gmail.com or visit http://www.binghamton.edu/evos/events-news/nutritionstudy.html for more information.