NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Trying to shed excess weight, lower high blood pressure or combat diabetes? The best personal diet depends on the goals trying to be achieved, according to a new ranking. 
 
 For dropping those extra pounds Weight Watchers ranked No. 1 in the ratings by U.S. News & World Report, followed closely by Jenny Craig and the Raw Food Diet, while the DASH diet was deemed best overall diet, with the Mediterranean Diet coming in second. 
 
 "Our analysis put hard numbers on the common-sense belief that no diet is ideal for everybody," the magazine said on its website. 
 
 "The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet beat out 19 others, among them Atkins, Jenny Craig and Slim-Fast, to win the 'Best Diets Overall,'" it added. 
 
 Researchers looked and compiled profiles on 20 diets, which were reviewed by a panel of 22 experts in diet and nutrition, diabetes and heart disease. 
 
 The rankings were based on scores in seven categories -- short-term weight loss, long-term weight loss, easiness to follow, nutritional completeness, ability to prevent or manage diabetes and to manage heart disease. 
 
 Each diet was also judged in five categories including best overall diet, best commercial diet plan, best weight-loss, best diabetes diet and best heart-healthy diet. 
 
 DASH also came out first for the best diabetes diet, followed by the Mayo Clinic diet, while the Ornish Diet captured the top spot for heart-healthy diets with TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) diet coming in second. 
 
 "Exercise gets serious attention in some diets and lip service in others, but the primary focus of a diet, after all, is food. Whether to exercise, how, and how much is a lifestyle decision beyond the scope of a mere diet," the magazine added. 
 
 About 34 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 and over are overweight and an equal number are obese, according to 2007-2008 figures from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. ||||| A Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fish and olive oil may reduce the risk of breast cancer returning, a small study suggests. 
 
 Research on more than 300 women with early-stage breast cancer reinforces earlier work which suggests diet may play an important role in cutting cancer risk. 
 
 Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) conference in Chicago, the study involved 199 women eating their normal diet and 108 who ate a Mediterranean diet. 
 
 The best diets: according to the experts 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 + show all The best diets: according to the experts 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1/10 Flexitarian Diet The combination of flexible and vegetarian. This diet is all about adding things to your diet, not taking them away. By adding more tofu, beans, fruits, veggies, eggs, whole grains and seeds to your diet you should feel full on fewer calories. Flickr / Brian 
 
 2/10 DASH Diet Ranked at number one, the DASH diet was developed to prevent and lower high blood pressure by reducing salt intake. Flickr / Dubravko Sorić 
 
 3/10 TLC Diet Created to cut high cholesterol and endorsed by the American Heart Association. 
 
 4/10 Mayo Clinic diet Focuses on everything you were told to eat as a child: whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Flickr / Rochelle 
 
 5/10 Mediterranean Diet Eat as the Mediterranean people do: A diet low in red meat, sugar and saturated fats but high in produce and nuts. And lots of olives. Flickr / Meal Makeover Moms 
 
 6/10 Weight Watchers Works with a points system where healthy foods have fewer points. Group meetings offer emotional support and encouragement, meaning it has been a successful program since 1963. Flickr / Mike Mozart 
 
 7/10 Volumetrics Diet Works on the idea that people eat roughly the same amount every day, regardless of the calories. So this diet is all about the approach to eating rather than a structured diet. It divides food into four groups depending on their energy density. For example, more veggies on top of pasta instead of cheese. Flickr / Jennifer 
 
 8/10 Jenny Craig For encouragement, on this diet you get a meal plan and a counselling session every week with a consultant. You get three meals a day, including French toast, but unfortunately you can’t really go out for meals. Flickr / Dennis Wilkinson 
 
 9/10 Biggest Loser Diet Eat regular meals with whole grains, fruit, vegetables and lean protein, get more exercise and keep a food journal. Fairly simple. Flickr / Pete Thomas 
 
 10/10 Ornish Diet Developed by Dean Ornish in his 2007 book “The Spectrum”. He categorizes food in to five groups from most (1) to least (5) healthy. He pinpoints emotional support as a powerful tool for weight loss. Flickr / kris krüg 
 
 A Mediterranean diet includes vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, fish, olive oil and whole grains, while being low in red and processed meat, and with alcohol kept to a minimum. 
 
 People who are considered to get maximum benefit from the diet have less than one drink a day for women, or one to two for men, and fewer than three servings of red meat per day. 
 
 They also eat several servings of fruit and vegetables per day, one serving of wholegrains and up to four servings of fish per week. 
 
 In the latest study, carried out at Piacenza Hospital in Italy, women who were in remission from breast cancer were tracked for three years. 
 
 The results showed that during that time, 11 patients suffered cancer again who were following their normal diet, while no women in the Mediterranean diet group experienced a relapse. 
 
 Research published last year in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine also found that eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. 
 
 The study, led by the University of Navarra in Pamplona and the Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition in Madrid, Spain, compared women whose families consumed one litre a week of olive oil, compared with women on a low fat diet. 
 
 Of more than 4,000 women, researchers found that those on the Mediterranean diet with extra olive oil appeared to have a 68% reduced risk of breast cancer. 
 
 Responding to the latest Italian study, Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of Breast Cancer Care, said: "For many women with breast cancer, fear of the disease returning is one of the biggest issues they face after treatment. 
 
 "So anything that helps us understand how to lower risk of recurrence in women who follow a Mediterranean diet rich in fish and olive oil is a welcome addition to our toolbox. 
 
 "However, this is a small study which only followed women for three years. We look forward to seeing results of longer term studies. 
 
 "Lifestyle choices like eating a well-balanced diet, taking regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can all help reduce the risk of cancer coming back, but they can't prevent it completely." 
 
 Professor Arnie Purushotham, Cancer Research UK's senior clinical adviser, said: "The preliminary results of this small study suggest that a Mediterranean diet could lower the risk of breast cancer returning, but we'd need much longer follow-up than three years to confirm the diet's impact. 
 
 "Further studies with more women are needed to understand more about the impact that diet can have on breast cancer survival and the biological reasons behind this." 
 
 Dr Erica Mayer, Asco's breast cancer expert, said: "The whole topic of lifestyle interventions for breast cancer survivors is a very important one. 
 
 "There is substantial research going on into what we should be recommending to breast cancer survivors." 
 
 But she said studies to date have been conflicting and the latest study had some problems with its methodology. 
 
 "It is not clear whether there is a specific diet or foods to eat or not to eat to prevent recurrence," she said. ||||| (Getty Images) What is Mayo Clinic Diet? This diet has been reviewed by U.S. News' team of expert panelists. Learn more » Balanced These diets fall within accepted ranges for the amount of protein, carbs, fat and other nutrients they provide. Pros & Cons Nutritionally sound 
 
 You shape your diet 
 
 Lots of grunt work 
 
 Somewhat pricey Weight loss and a healthier lifestyle go hand in hand on the Mayo Clinic Diet. You recalibrate your eating habits, breaking bad ones and replacing them with good ones with the help of the Mayo Clinic's unique food pyramid. The pyramid emphasizes fruits, veggies and whole grains. In general, these foods have low energy density, meaning you can eat more but take in fewer calories. Think of it this way: For about the same amount of calories you could have a quarter of a Snickersbar or about 2 cups of broccoli. By sticking with the Mayo Clinic Diet, you’re expected to shed 6 to 10 pounds in two weeks and continue losing 1 to 2 pounds weekly until you’ve hit your goal weight. In 2013, Mayo Clinic published "The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet," which our experts did not evaluate. A new edition of this book will be available Jan. 1, 2019. This spin on the standard eating plan is designed for people with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, and its advice is specific to lowering blood sugar and keeping levels stable. 
 
 How does Mayo Clinic Diet work? Do's & Don'ts Do: Raid the produce section of your supermarket. The newest (and second) edition of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" book was published in 2017. Use it, as well as the Mayo Clinic Diet website , as your guides to work your way through two parts: "Lose it!" and "Live it!" Part one focuses on 15 key habits – ones to add and ones to ditch. You don't count calories, and you can snack all you want on fruits and veggies. After two weeks, you begin part two, learning how many calories you should eat to either lose or maintain weight and where those calories should come from. No food group is completely off-limits – you're developing a pattern of healthy eating you'll follow for life. [Check out the DASH diet, which aims to help prevent and lower high blood pressure.] In "Lose it!" you'll add a healthy breakfast, lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy fats and at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. You'll ban eating while watching TV, sugar (except what's found in fruit), snacking (except on fruits and veggies), consuming too much meat and full-fat dairy, and eating out (unless the food you order follows the rules). If you're really motivated, you'll also adopt bonus habits such as keeping food, activity and goal diaries; exercising 60 or more minutes per day; and eating natural or minimally processed "real food." 
 
 In "Live it!" you'll use what you learned in the first phase but be allowed to occasionally break the rules. You'll also calculate the number of calories you can eat while still losing a couple of pounds a week. But instead of counting the calories in every grain of (brown) rice you eat, you'll focus on servings. On a 1,400-calorie plan, for example, you're allowed four or more servings each of fruits and veggies, five servings of carbs, four of protein/dairy and three of fats. What's a serving? For fruit, it's the size of a tennis ball; for protein, no bigger than a deck of cards. Round out "Live it!" with regular physical activity and you're set for life. If you’re interested in following the Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet, it's heavy on food that's naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories, and the diet emphasizes fruits, veggies and whole grains. Recommended foods include healthy carbs (think fruit, legumes, vegetables, whole-wheat flour and wheat bran); fiber-rich foods such as nuts and beans; heart-healthy fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna; and "good" fats, which include avocados, almonds, olives and walnuts. Foods to avoid include saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and sodium. Do's & Don'ts Do's & Don'ts Do: Raid the produce section of your supermarket. 
 
 How much does Mayo Clinic Diet cost? Whether it's pricier than your current grocery tab depends, of course, on what you put in your cart. Fruits, veggies and whole-grain products are generally more expensive than sugary cereal, white bread and frozen pizzas. But there's no membership fee, and the diet's individualized nature gives you financial wiggle room – by making dinner from whatever produce is on sale, for example. The "Mayo Clinic Diet" book is an essential guide and should be purchased. 
 
 Will Mayo Clinic Diet help you lose weight? Most likely, Mayo Clinic Diet will help you lose weight, provided you follow the rules. Although the only research specifically evaluating the diet comes from the Mayo Clinic itself, preliminary results are promising. The principles behind it are backed by substantial research, which suggests its potential for weight loss and weight maintenance. In a 2008 pilot program of 53 obese Mayo Clinic employees who followed "Lose it!" for two weeks, average weight loss was 8 pounds. Nearly all of the 46 who finished lost 4 or more pounds, and most lost between 6 to 10 pounds. There was no control group. In general, diets rich in low-energy-dense foods have been shown to deliver weight loss, promoting fullness on fewer calories, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a study of 97 obese women, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007, researchers randomly assigned dieters to either a low-energy-dense, low-fat diet or a low-energy-dense, low-fat diet that emphasized fruits and vegetables. After a year, both groups lost weight, and the fruits-and-vegetables dieters lost even more – 14 pounds compared with 11 pounds. More studies, particularly large controlled trials, are needed to confirm the findings. 
 
 How easy is Mayo Clinic Diet to follow? Most dieters will find the restrictive "Lose it!" phase difficult. That's why it only lasts two weeks. Once you develop your plan in "Live it!" and find no foods completely off limits, you'll be more likely to stay on the wagon. You're free to eat out, as long as you let Mayo's food pyramid direct your menu choices. Alcohol might be restricted a little more than you'd prefer. And while a slew of Mayo guides make developing your plan easier, there's just no way to avoid the grocery store and stove. Mayo's companion "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, Second Edition," is packed with recipe ideas. Once you understand healthy eating and serving sizes, you can scour outside recipe websites for free. Eating out is discouraged in Mayo’s "Lose it!" phase, but the fine print says you technically still can if you don't stray from the guidelines. There are no timesavers, unless you hire somebody to plan your meals, shop for them and prepare them. And you can't pay someone to exercise for you. The book provides meal planning, grocery shopping and dining out guides; a crash course in nutrition basics; and advice for staying motivated. Mayo doesn't have any book-specific resources online, but you can peruse its large database of diet-related articles . Nutrition experts emphasize the importance of satiety, the satisfied feeling that you’ve had enough. You shouldn’t feel hungry on the Mayo Clinic Diet. In part one, you can snack on unlimited veggies and fruits, and later, when you've got a calorie cap, the emphasis on low-energy-dense fruits, veggies and high-fiber whole grains should keep you feeling fuller longer. You're making everything, so if something doesn't taste good, you know who to blame.
– The best overall diet is the DASH diet, US News & World Report says in new rankings—but if weight loss is your specific goal, go with Weight Watchers. So what's DASH? It stands for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension and it's generally meant for adults looking to curb high blood pressure. It's big on "whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat and nonfat dairy foods, lean proteins, nuts and limited amounts of fats and sweets," explains the Los Angeles Times, which writes about it for a different reason: A new study suggests it slows weight gain in teen girls. Back on the US News & World rankings: The Mediterranean diet came in second for overall diet, while Jenny Craig and the Raw Food diet were close runners-up for weight loss, Reuters reports. “Our analysis put hard numbers on the common-sense belief that no diet is ideal for everybody,” says the magazine. It all depends on your aim. Click for details on the specific diets and complete rankings.