Jeff Volek, PhD, RD
Founder, former Chief Science Officer
Jeff Volek is Co-Founder and former Chief Science Officer of Virta Health, the first clinically-proven treatment to safely and sustainably reverse type 2 diabetes without medications or surgery.
For the last two decades, Dr. Volek has performed cutting edge research on how humans adapt to diets restricted in carbohydrates with a dual focus on clinical and performance applications of nutritional ketosis. His scholarly work includes more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and five books, including a New York Times Best Seller, and he has provided more than 200 lectures at scientific and industry conferences around the world. Dr. Volek is the author of The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living and The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance, two foundational books on low carb nutrition science and nutritional ketosis that he wrote with Stephen Phinney, MD, Ph.D.
As a registered dietitian and professor in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University, Dr. Volek's work has contributed to the existing science of ketones and ketogenic diets, their use as a therapeutic tool to manage insulin resistance, plus their increasing potential to augment human resiliency. This line of work has shown profound effects of carbohydrate restriction on overall health and well-being, and he has accumulated an extensive amount of laboratory and clinical data as it pertains to biomarker discovery and the formulation of personalized, effective, and sustainable low-carbohydrate diets.
His team at Ohio State University is currently focused on making new discoveries and breaking open new application related to nutritional ketosis. These studies are exploring the role of nutritional ketosis on cardio-metabolic status, ectopic fat accumulation in various tissues (liver, muscle, heart), tumor metabolism and health outcomes in women with advanced breast cancer, and human physical and cognitive capabilities in military personnel.
Dr. Volek does not just write about his research—he personally uses it. A former athlete and competitive powerlifter, he follows the principles of a low carbohydrate diet while regularly training for strength and health.
Dr. Volek has a Bachelor of Science in dietetics from Michigan State University, and a Master of Science in exercise physiology and Doctorate in kinesiology and nutrition from Pennsylvania State University.
