Church of Dietetics Vs. Galileo… Sorry, Professor Timothy Noakes – Hearing Starts Again Today
The case of the church of Dietetics vs. Professor Timothy Noakes restarted again in South Africa today, after being postponed from the original June date.
Professor Tim Noakes – perhaps the world’s foremost advocate for LCHF for obesity and diabetes – was recently reported by the Association for Dietitians in his country. This after a tweet recommending a lower-carb diet for a child. An innocent piece of advice if you ask me.
Now there’s a big trial. Much ado about a tweet, due to fossils of the past feeling threatened by the future and overreacting. But hopefully something good will come out of this mess.
Follow the trial
You can follow the hearing on Twitter using the hashtag #NoakesHPCSA. You can also sign the petition to support him like over 17,000 people.
There are also almost live updates during the day at news24.com.
More about the background here:
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A few folk are too keen to be the 'Diet Messiah' and not patient enough to say "this is interesting, we MAY be on to something here".
We have 50 years of observation and evidence about lower fat (and we're talking 30% of dietary intake - so not so low fat after all!) and particularly lower saturated fat on population health that shows beneficial effects. Despite what others may say, these still hold when accounting for other risk factors (e.g. smoking). A lot of good scientists have spent many a long hour (at the neglect no doubt of their family and love ones) producing the best possible science around this topic and have undoubtably helped save lives.
Unfortunately the LCHF community are letting sudo-scientists and opinion makers lead the discussion and debate without letting the real scientists do the talking. Is that because the latter know something the former don't? I don't know but the wrong people are taking charge and LCHF aficionados are happy to let this happen.
WE (anyone advocating/recommending diets for health) are all in agreement that an avocado is better for you than a mars bar and we should eat more of the former and less of the latter. WE are all in agreement that 'real' food (with it's lose definition) is better for us that 'unreal' (assume processed) food and we should eat more of the former and less of the latter. We don't need LCHF to be the cheer leader for this. We've been saying it all along!
And anecdotal evidence is not enough. Pregnant women on Thalidomide swore it was the best thing for related sickness - we all know what happened there don't we(?) (if you don't then you have not studied evidence-based medicine and should look it up! It will help you in this debate).
I have nothing against Tim Noakes - in fact I used to look up to him as a young budding sport scientist. But like others in this debate, he is too impatient. Just let time and good science reveal what the truth is. Not opinion and anecdote.
I would surely have been dead by then following your counsel. Fortunately I don't and have experienced significant long-term health improvements. The comparison to Thalidomide is ludicrous for several reasons. First, there are many cultures who have thrived on LCHF diets for hundreds of years. Second, it was the scientists who developed and touted Thalidomide. Indeed, every other report I read on new metabolic science the scientists tout their small result as indicating the potential for a new drug. Third, Frances Oldham Kelsey kept Thalidomide out of Canada by decrying the claims of scientists. Sadly, Dr. Mary Enig was not so successful in the United States in fighting the prevailing opinion of science, with her warning that trans fats should not be used as a substitute for saturated fats. All it accomplished was that her funding was cut off for being unscientific.
The fact is that "evidence-based medicine" has become codeword for pharmaceutical-sponsored research. "Evidence-based" medicine amounts to granting a free pass to the status quo and then requiring multi-million dollar "tier-one" trials to displace the status quo. This is fine for commercial interests, politics and scientists scrounging for funding, but for real people, we have to make decisions based on many factors, not simply a human, all too human, distorted scientific process.
Breakfast now two eggs, cheese and a bit of bacon ..... The result ;a fit and healthy person.
Disappointing coming from someone named Guardian of "evidence". How about next time you provide solid evidence for your claims.
Use the link below. :)
http://www.news24.com/search?q=noakes
Peter -Team DietDoctor
the science, suppressed for so long, is out and you, sir, are one of the greats
this trial just shows that mainstream pseudo science, which has gripped this world
for 40 plus years is wrong and those whose agendas are threatened are trying
to quiet the voice of reason and truth.
don't ever stop talking, tim noakes and let andreas be andreas. you be tim.
Almost 20kgs off and vital and energetic at 70....amazing results after 69 years of yoyo obesity...AND... never hungry nogal!!