Lynette Johns
CAPE TOWN- Professor Tim Noakes concluded his testimony on Tuesday , saying there needed to be acknowledgement that what is being taught at medical schools is not cutting edge science.
He is back on the stand at the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) inquiry into his professional conduct.
Noakes is accused of acting unprofessionally by advising Pippa Leenstra to wean her baby onto a low-carb, high-fat diet (LCHF).
Leenstra had tweeted him and nutritional therapist Sally-Ann Creed to ask if the LCHF Banting diet was safe for babies of breastfeeding mothers.
Noakes had replied on Twitter: “Baby doesn’t eat the dairy and cauliflower. Just very healthy high-fat breast milk. Key is to wean baby on to LCHF.”
“If I have achieved anything it’s to give knowledge in its entirety, and if we are able to get the message out that what we are teaching in medical schools is not cutting edge scientific knowledge then everything I have suffered would have been worth it, and that’s why I am here,” Noakes said as he ended his testimony.
Most of Tuesday morning was dedicated to Noakes summing up a range of research which he said proved how effective a LCHF diet was, not only for adults, but for children as well.
He said ketones, a water-soluble fat, which is produced on a LCHF diet, fed the brain the necessary fat and cholesterol and it crossed the placenta to feed the foetus.
He had earlier explained how obese pregnant women delivered large babies who in turn had a high probability of becoming obese adults.
This was because of a high intake of refined and sweetened carbohydrates.
The body produces insulin to deal with the increase in carbohydrates, but insulin cannot cross the placenta, and the foetus is forced to produce its own insulin.
People who are insulin resistant cannot break down carbohydrates, which means they are hungry more often and hunger leads to more eating, Noakes said.
Insulin resistance also leads to non-alcohol fatty liver disease, which came with it’s own set of problems, including heart disease.
Noakes explained that a diet high in carbohydrates, including sugar, was leading to the obesity epidemic.
The medical profession prescribed diets rich in carbohydrates and medication like insulin, both of which did not treat the illness, he said.
Noakes is convinced that a LCHF diet will lead to a decrease in obesity, which in turn will lead to a decrease in diabetes.
This he said is not popular in conventional medication as no one stood to make money by prescribing a LCHF diet.
The inquiry continues, and Noakes is expected to be cross examined.
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