Tim Noakes, South Africa's low-carbohydrates guru, is in hot water … again, reports The Times. Last week, he and two doctors wrote an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (See MedicalBrief Issue No 057) arguing that eating carbohydrates, especially refined ones, explained the rise of obesity rather than a lack of exercise.
The opinion piece was picked up by 28 media outlets, including the BBC, The Times of India and Newsnight, a London-based TV show. It has now been taken offline. The site says: "The paper has been temporarily removed following an expression of concern."
A ‘slightly edited’, in the words of the BJSM, has since been reinstated with a lengthy note on competing interests: ‘[Co-author S Phinney is a paid member of the Atkins Scientific Advisory Board and has authored books on low carb/high fat diets: New Atkins and You and The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living;
[Prof Tim Noakes] is the author of the books Lore of Running and Waterlogged and co-author of The Real Meal Revolution and Challenging Beliefs. All royalties from the sale of Real Meal Revolution are donated to the The Noakes Foundation of which he is the Chairman and which funds research of insulin resistance, diabetes and nutrition as directed by its Board of Directors. Money from the sale of other books is donated to the Tim and Marilyn Noakes Sports Science Research Trust which funds the salary of a senior researcher at the University of Cape Town, South Africa (research focuses on the study of skeletal muscle in African mammals with some overlap to the study of type 2 diabetes in carnivorous mammals and of the effects of (scavenged) sugar consumption on free-living (wild) baboons).
Noakes has sold 150,000 copies of his book Real Meal Revolution, promoting a low-carb lifestyle. Noakes earlier defended his choice not to declare a conflict of interest.
What is published in the scientific world influences advice given to patients by doctors and is thus supposed to be the best science and not influenced by other factors. Professor of Ethics at the Wits Steve Biko School for Bioethics, Ames Dhai said Noakes should have declared his book. "Any book that brings in royalties is an income generator – and should be declared even in an editorial."
Noakes says the money made from his book sales goes to The Noakes Foundation, not his pocket. The Foundation plans to conduct research on diet and nutrition.
[link url="http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2015/05/07/noakes-in-a-spot-of-bother"]Full report in The Times[/link]
[link url="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2015/05/07/bjsports-2015-094911.full"]BJSM abstract and statement:[/link]
Noakes article removed, then reinstated
