NEW YORK, May 31, 2007 - Through her unparalleled connection with consumers around the world, media titan and television pioneer Oprah Winfrey recently triggered significant buzz and passion for two emerging diets by endorsing them on her television show and in her magazine.

According to Nielsen BuzzMetrics, the global measurement standard in consumer-generated media, citations of the "BestLife Diet" and "YOU: On a Diet" by "early nutrition adopters" on blogs, boards and other online venues increased 196% and 46%, respectively, during January 2007 versus December 2006. Buzz for the two diets increased 241% and 54% during Q1 2007, respectively, versus Q4 2006, which is well above the average increase for the diet category (24%) overall. Nielsen BuzzMetrics defines early nutrition adopters as consumers from sites with a dedicated focus on nutrition, food, dieting, medicine, and health & wellness.

These findings are from the Nutrition*Buzz Q1 2007 report, Nielsen BuzzMetrics' next generation of buzz analytics delivering forward-looking indications of changing consumer interests in the nutrition sector. According to the latest report, 15% of online conversations during Q1 taking place on blogs, message boards and usenet groups about the aforementioned diets had mentions of Oprah's involvement.

"Celebrity endorsements can help boost mindshare and market share, as yet another instance of the 'Oprah Effect' confirms," said Jerry Needel, Senior Vice President, Nielsen BuzzMetrics. "Beyond sales, naturally occurring buzz is among the most powerful indicators of consumer engagement. Marketers can observe this natural passion to better understand and leverage where passionate and influential consumers are directing their attention and trust."

According to Nutrition*Buzz, online discussion for "YOU: On a Diet" immediately soared among early nutrition adopters as well as mainstream consumer segments after the diet was featured on a November 2, 2006 telecast of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Approximately 10.85 million viewers tuned in, according to Nielsen Media Research, to learn how to gain confidence and energy using the official waist-management tools on RealAge.com, the official Web site for YOU: On a Diet. RealAge.com was among the top 15 most visited health and wellness channels for Q1, 2007 based on Web visitors, according to Nielsen Net//Ratings. Comparably, nutrition enthusiast and mainstream buzz for The BestLife Diet spiked in January 2007 after being featured in both "O", The Oprah Magazine" and on The Oprah Winfrey Show, as 10.91 million viewers tuned-in to watch the feature program.

Endorsements by Oprah were a significant driver of book sales for both diets. According to BookScan, the YOU:On a Diet book was the number seller in the health and fitness category, with a total of 448,000 copies sold in Q1, 2007, followed by The BestLife Diet book, with a total of 376,000 copies sold. Sales of BestLife Diet products manufactured mainly by General Mills and Unilever have experienced strong growth in the first 13 weeks of the year compared to last year. Fiber One Cereal and Bars and Wasa Crackers were among the leaders, with a dollar increase of 88% and 38%, respectively, according to Nielsen Scantrack. Further, total weekly sales for participating BestLife Diet products increased immediately after the diet was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

About Nutrition*Buzz

By gathering and analyzing unaided, unprompted online conversations in forums, blogs, message boards and usenet groups from consumers discussing topics linked to nutrition, Nutrition*Buzz determines the nutrition issues likely to influence consumer behavior. Nutrition*Buzz is based on Nielsen BuzzMetrics' pioneering nutrition influencer tracking service, leveraging a years-long collaboration with many of the world's leading food and beverage manufacturers and Nielsen Company affiliates. It provides an early view into emerging food, nutrition, diet and health trends. Key features include:

· Increased focus of what's changing over time, while comparing mainstream consumers to early nutrition adopters.

· Integration of buzz levels with LabelTrends® and BookScan sales data for selected trend topics, adding a behavioral dimension.

· Integration of buzz levels with Nielsen//Net Ratings data, to strengthen the ability to identify changing consumer nutrition interests.

· Inclusion of Buzz*Benchmarks derived from historical buzz data and updated with new information over time.

· User-Friendly, streamlined and highly visual reports.

· "Topic of the Quarter" report, which features in-depth, qualitative analysis and a Brand Association Map (BAM) of the most interesting nutrition topic of the quarter.

Nielsen BuzzMetrics CGM 101 Webinar

To learn more about consumer-generated media, please join us for our next CGM 101 Webinar, scheduled for Friday, June 1^st. To register and learn about additional educational modules, please visit http://nielsenbuzzmetrics.com/webinars.asp

- END -

Contact: Sandra Parrelli (Sandra.parrelli@buzzmetrics.com) at 646-654-7772

Press Contact: Sandra Parrelli; Sandra.Parrelli@nielsen.com; 646-654-7772

Sales Inquiries: sales@buzzmetrics.com; 1.877.999.7335

About Nielsen Online:

Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, delivers comprehensive, independent measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, consumer-generated media, word of mouth, commerce and consumer behavior, and includes products previously marketed under the Nielsen//NetRatings and Nielsen BuzzMetrics brands. With high quality, technology-driven products and services, Nielsen Online enables clients to make informed business decisions regarding their Internet, digital and marketing strategies. For more information, please visit www.nielsen-online.com.

About The Nielsen Company:

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), online intelligence (NetRatings and BuzzMetrics), trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.