Noakes defends his turnaround on diet

It's knowing whether you have insulin resistance that's the key to sustained weight loss, Professor Tim Noakes said at Wits Medical School. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

It's knowing whether you have insulin resistance that's the key to sustained weight loss, Professor Tim Noakes said at Wits Medical School. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

Published Oct 31, 2013

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Johannesburg - Exercise and sport expert Professor Tim Noakes has defended his controversial new stance on a high saturated-fat and low carbohydrate diet, saying there will always be “resistance to change”.

Speaking at a public lecture hosted by the Royal Society of South Africa at the Wits University Medical School auditorium on Wednesday, Noakes said he had certainly learnt that anyone who challenged the “prevailing orthodoxy” found themselves silenced for advising something different.

He said: “A generally unfashionable opinion is always never given a fair hearing, either in the popular press or in the high-ranking periodicals.”

Noakes has come under fire recently from nutritionists and the Health Professions Council of South Africa after his paper, titled “Low-carbohydrate and high-fat intake can manage obesity and associated conditions: Occasional survey” was published in the SA Medical Journal.

The health professionals said he had “gone too far” in suggesting that a switch to a high-fat, high-protein diet was advisable for everyone and that a healthy diet remained a balanced diet.

But on Wednesday Noakes – the author of the book Lore of Running – remained resolute in his lecture, titled “Is the ‘Heart Healthy’ prudent diet the single worst medical mistake of the 20th century?”.

“There is not one diet that showed that saturated fat caused heart disease; actually it is the inverse… Carbohydrates stimulate hunger, they don’t stop it. We are all individuals and have been advised like we’re all the same. I have type-2 diabetes… I ate so many carbs I have insulin resistance,” he stated.

And knowing whether you have insulin resistance or not is key in sustained weight loss, Noakes added.

“We treat hypertension, obesity and diabetes without understanding the biology of the problem, which is insulin resistance,” he said.

Noakes has publicly admitted that it took him 61 years to suspect that bread and cereals, as well as rice and pasta, may not have been the healthiest option as he had believed.

He also took a jab at soft-drink and cereal companies, saying their products were designed to get people addicted and maximise consumption.

Noakes said: “Insulin resistance is a genetic predisposition which is progressively worsened with age and reduces the body’s capacity to store and use carbs as a fuel, and they become stored as fat… which leads to increased blood-glucose levels and a reduced production of ‘good’ HDL-cholesterol.

“If you have problems with your health it is likely because you have insulin resistance. When you reduce your carbohydrate intake, your weight comes down and you’re helping your health.” - The Star

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