Professor Tim Noakes, one of the world’s leading sports scientists who is ending the war on fat, one fatty acid at a time, will answer the contentious question: Is the low fat diet the worst dietary advice in history?, at DUT this month (October).
Prof Noakes’ lecture is expected to get tongues wagging as it argues that bread is in fact your enemy, and not the butter. The lecture will take place on Monday, 13 October 2013 at the Mansfield Hall, DUT Ritson Campus, from 14h00 to 15h30. It is being held in association with the Department of Food and Nutrition: Consumer Sciences as part of the Executive Dean’s (Faculty of Applied Sciences) Lecture Series.
“The adoption of the high carbohydrate, low fat diets after 1977 as the official global (healthy) eating plan has been followed with an epidemic of obesity and diabetes that appears uncontrollable”, said Prof Noakes. “It is my belief that the cause of obesity and diabetes is simple; it is due to the provision of addictive, highly processed foods which induce over eating in susceptible individuals.
Thus the cure for the obesity epidemic is to reduce the consumption of highly addictive, carbohydrate rich foods. This can only be achieved by substituting high fat, high protein foods. Unfortunately, the public has been misled to believe that such diets are unhealthy because they increase the risk of heart disease. There is no good evidence for this belief,” he said.
Prof Noakes believes that the diet debate is critical for South Africa “because a healthy population cannot be developed if children are exposed to high carbohydrate diets from an increasingly young age”, adding that “the optimum development of the brain at all ages requires diets that are high in protein, especially fat, and low in refined carbohydrates”, such as white breads and pastas as well as sodas, energy drinks, sweetened ice tea and many fruit juices made with added refined sugars.
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, Prof Noakes studied at the University of Cape Town (UCT) where he obtained a MBChB degree in 1974, MD degree in 1981 and a DSc (Med) degree in Exercise Science in 2002. He is Professor in the Discovery Health Chair of Exercise and Sports Science at UCT. He is also Director of the UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine and co-founder of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA).
Prof Noakes has published more than 500 scientific publications, has been cited more than 14 OOO times in scientific literature, has an H index of 63 and is rated an Al scientist by the National Research Foundation of South Africa.
In 2003, he received the UCT Book Award for Lore of Running (4th Edition) which is considered the “bible of the sport”.
Most recently, his new book, Real Meal Revolution, co-authored with Jonno Proudfoot, David Grier and Sally-Ann Creed, was launched in November 2013. It covers scientific facts behind the low carb, high fat diet and also contains recipes and advice. The book has already sold more than 130 000 copies and has become the largest selling e-book in South African publishing history.
In 2002 Noakes was awarded the International Cannes Grand Prix Award for Research in Medicine and Water for his work on Exercise-associated Hyponatraemia (EAH). In 2004 Runner’s World (USA) included this work as one of the 40 most important “persons or events” in the sport of running in the past 40 years. In 2008 he was elected as Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine (UK), becoming the first foreigner to be so recognised. In that year, he also received the Order of Mapungubwe (Silver) award from the President of South Africa for his “excellent contribution in the field of sports and the science of physical exercise”.
In 2012, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Research Foundation for his contribution to sports science research.
Prof Noakes has been physically active all his life and has run more than 70 marathons and ultra-marathons, including seven 90km Comrades Marathons.
-Sinegugu Ndlovu
Pictured: South African sports scientist Prof Tim Noakes goes around the world championing his new protein diet eating plan.
