James M. Rippe (born June 26, 1947)[1] is an American cardiologist. He is the founder and director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute, located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
Rippe's research has found that the health benefits of exercise extend to mild exercises, such as walking, and that the benefit from walking is about the same regardless of walking speed.[2] He has been described as "a founder of the fitness walking movement."[3]
According to the New York Times, he received $10 million in funds between 2010 and 2014 from the Corn Refiners Association to study the health effects of high fructose corn syrup and published reports "disputing any special health consequences associated with the corn-based sweeter." He also received a $41,000-a-month fee from the association, which the Times said was for him "to serve as an outside expert whom it repeatedly asked to send commentary pieces to local newspapers and dispute any claims that consuming high-fructose corn syrup in foods was any riskier than sugar."[4][5]
Rippe is the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, as well as the co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine.[6] Rippe has published 56 books, including Encyclopedia of Lifestyle Medicine and Health,[7] Obesity Prevention and Treatment,[8] Lifestyle Medicine Third Edition,[9] and Nutrition in Lifestyle Medicine.[10]
