Tim Noakes Responds to “Cholesterol Denialism” Accusation from Doctors and Academics
Six doctors and academics, including Patrick Commerford who is a professor of cardiology and Head of the Cardiac Clinic at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, have collaborated on a letter to the Cape Times calling into question claims made by Tim Noakes in his book, Challenging Beliefs.
The letter states that they believe Noakes has gone too far in saying that everyone could benefit from switching to a high-fat and high-protein diet and they compare his views to Aids denialism, saying that we don’t need “cholesterol denialism”. They also question his methods, saying that it would have been better for him to debate his ideas in the academic sphere or within medical literature before publishing them.
Noakes responded to these points in a letter to the Cape Times and presented his findings on what causes heart disease. Noakes also said that the theory that blood cholesterol and a high-fat diet are the sole causes of heart disease will be “one of the greatest errors in the history of medicine.”
Sports scientist Tim Noakes goes too far in suggesting that a switch to a high-fat, high-protein diet is advisable for everyone, say six top doctors and academics.
It may, in fact, be dangerous for anyone with or at risk of heart problems, they say, adding in a letter to the Cape Times (full text below): “Having survived ‘Aids denialism’ we do not need to be exposed to ‘cholesterol denialism’.”
Tim Noakes has hit back at critics of his new diet, saying the theory that blood cholesterol and a high fat diet are the causes of heart disease will be one of the greatest errors in the history of medicine.
“It is time to admit that the theory has failed. We need to adopt an open mind if we are ever to discover the real cause [or causes] of the current global epidemic of obesity, diabetes and coronary heart disease, all of which are likely caused by the same factors.”
Book details
- Challenging Beliefs: Memoirs of a Career by Tim Noakes and Michael Vlismas
Book homepage
EAN: 9781770224599
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- Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports by Tim Noakes
EAN: 9781450424974
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Apr
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