Consumption of 100-400 flavorless calories per day lowers the set point, and therefore, lowers weight. The name is taken from the fictional Shangri-La, a reference Roberts explained by stating that Shangri-La is a "very peaceful place. My diet puts people at peace with food." The diet has been endorsed or mentioned by Tyler Cowen, Stephen Dubner, Tim Ferriss, Tucker Max and Wired Magazine writer Gary Wolf. It was criticized by UCLA nutritionist Dr. John Ford. Through word of mouth, the book became a "New York Times" bestseller. It made it as high as #2 on Amazon.com's bestseller list. At one point in 2006, Roberts' book was ranked #3 on Amazon while on "Freakonomics", a friend and early supporter of the book, it was ranked #4. The Shangri-La Diet was also featured on Good Morning America where journalist Diane Sawyer tried a tablespoon of olive oil. In September 2001, Dr. Ranjit Chandra, a prominent nutrition researcher, published a study about the effects of vitamin supplementation on the cognitive functions of the elderly. Roberts and Saul Sternberg, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, discovered inconsistencies in the data presented, specifically in the data distribution and standard deviation. Roberts is quoted as stating "the results were not just implausible, they were impossible." The story received recognition in both the British Medical Journal and the New York Times. The CBC ran a three-part documentary about the controversy called "The Secret Life of Dr. Chandra." In 2005, "Nutrition" issued a retraction of Chandra's original paper. Roberts died on Saturday, April 26, 2014. He collapsed while hiking near his home in Berkeley, CA. Occlusive coronary artery disease and cardiomegaly contributed to his death.