Did The Rice Diet Program ‘Fall Out Of Popularity?’ Rice Diet Center In North Carolina Shuts Down After 70 Years

The Rice Diet facility in Durham, North Carolina shuts down after more than 70 years of operation. Did the Rice Diet program lose its popularity?

"The thing about nutrition is you blink your eyes and things change. People are looking for the freshest, the hottest, the latest, the greatest. The Rice Diet is nutritionally sound," said Amy Jamieson-Petonic, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Fox News reports via AP. "Because it's not the latest and the greatest, I'm wondering if it kind of fell out of popularity."

The weight-loss program, which is built around a regimen of white rice and fruit, started at Duke University's medical center, but split from the center about 10 years ago, AP reports.

In recent years, customers dwindled as other diet approaches and stomach surgeries became popular, according to AP.

The Rice Diet closed down its residential, medically supervised weight-loss program in November. Since then, owner Dr. Robert Rosati has been unable to close a sale with any of three potential buyers to restart the program, and the center remains closed, AP reports.

"I think the whole business was challenged during the hardest part of the recession, and also my husband was ready to retire," said Rosati's wife, Kitty, who authored books including "Rice Diet Solution."

High-protein, low-carb plans like the Paleo Diet tend to do better at increasing the full-stomach feeling than the low-protein Rice Diet plan, according to AP. The Paleo Diet reduces appetite and causes weight loss, said Loren Codain, author of "The Paleo Diet," which encourages eating like Stone Age humans and leaving out cereal grains, potatoes and salt, AP reports.

"Hence the tenets of the Rice Diet are inconsistent with the best science of the 21st century," Cordain said in an email.

Kitty Rosati says she and her husband want to lead health retreats using the Rice Diet Program brand name. Meanwhile, a businessman is aiming to start a separate weight-loss center using many of the diet's principles and employing former Rice Diet staff members.