South Beach Research Foundation

The Agatston Research Foundation was founded in 2004 by Dr. Arthur Agatston, preventive cardiologist and author of the best-selling The South Beach Diet®. In creating the Agatston Research Foundation, Dr. Agatston is fulfilling a personal dream to improve the heart health and wellness of the nation through research, education, and prevention. According to Dr. Agatston, "Through research funded by The Foundation, it's my goal to drive changes in how the health-care system manages disease prevention and wellness — and I hope to empower individuals to make healthy lifestyle changes themselves."

Specifically, the goals of The Foundation are to:

• Conduct and fund research that contributes to reducing the incidence of heart attacks and strokes
• Educate and empower the public to take an active part in managing their health
• Promote innovative health-care programs oriented towards prevention
• Advance and promote a greater focus on prevention among the medical community

The Foundation participates in a varied research agenda, focusing on improving people's lives and well-being and promoting disease prevention. Below is a brief description of some of the innovative studies The Foundation is involved in:

• The Healthier Options for Public Schoolchildren (HOPS) Study is testing the feasibility of improving school breakfasts and lunches and enhancing nutrition and wellness education in an elementary school setting and creating a replicable program with the goals of reducing childhood obesity and improving academic performance.
• The Effect of a Low-Processed Carbohydrate, Relatively High-Protein Diet Enriched with Mono- and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Weight Loss, Body-Fat Loss and Distribution, and Cardiovascular Disease Mechanisms in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome. This study is testing the effectiveness of a healthy diet — which emphasizes lean protein and the right fats and carbs — on weight and body-fat percentage, as well as markers for cardiovascular disease in patients with metabolic syndrome.
• The Effect of Diet on Inflammation Mediators and Adult Stem Cells Study is investigating the effects of a Western diet — high in refined carbs and bad fats — on the inflammatory response.
• The South Beach Diet® and Acne Study is determining whether following the South Beach Diet® lifestyle has an impact on the presence of acne.
• Rodale Employee Heart Health Study (REHHS) is looking into state-of-the-art 64-slice CT scanning technology and noninvasive angiograms to determine how these tests may complement — and add value to — traditional cardiovascular screening methods.

The New York Times Magazine recently featured a cover story about The Healthier Options for Public Schoolchildren (HOPS) Study, which is funded by The Agatston Research Foundation.