Lore of Nutrition: Challenging conventional dietary beliefs

579 Pages·2017·5.09 MB·English

by  Tim Noakes

Published by Penguin Books
an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Reg. No. 1953/000441/07
The Estuaries No. 4, Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City, 7441
PO Box 1144, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za
First published 2017
Publication © Penguin Books 2017
Text © Tim Noakes and Marika Sboros 2017
Cover image of Tim Noakes © Sofia Dadourian All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.
PUBLISHER: Marlene Fryer
MANAGING EDITOR: Ronel Richter-Herbert
EDITOR: Bronwen Maynier
PROOFREADER: Ronel Richter-Herbert
INDEXER: Tessa Botha
COVER AND TEXT DESIGNER: Ryan Africa
TYPESETTER: Monique van den Berg Penguin Random House is committed to a
sustainable future for our business, our readers and our planet.
ISBN 978 1 77609 261 1 (print)
ISBN 978 1 77609 262 8 (ePub)
Contents
Acknowledgements by Tim Noakes
Acknowledgements by Marika Sboros
Foreword by Emeritus Professor J.P. van Niekerk
Preface by Tim Noakes
Preface by Marika Sboros
Introduction
Part I: The Low-carb Revolution
1. The Low-carb Summit
2. The Most Important Experiment of My Life
3. The Backlash Begins
4. The Centenary Debate
5. The UCT Professors’ Letter
6. The Naudé Review
7. Responses of Official Bodies
8. The Banting for Babies Tweet
Part II: Nutrition on Trial
9. The Hearing: June 2015
10. The Second Session: November 2015
11. The Start of the Third Session: February 2016
12. Finally, Noakes Speaks
13. The Angels
14. Closing Arguments
15. The Verdict
Part III: The Science
16. Once We Were Healthy
17. The Worst Mistake in the History of Medicine
Closure
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Select Bibliography
Notes
Index

I dedicate this book to the sacred few who unselfishly gave of themselves – their
wisdom, their humanity, their graciousness and their love – to lead me safely
through the trials described herein. They are: My wife, Marilyn Anne.
Our children, Travis Miles Noakes and Candice Amelia Noakes-Dobson.
My sister, Mandy Ruysch van Dugteren, and the memory of our parents,
Reginald Austin (‘Bindy’) and Mary Wendy Noakes.
The three Archangels, Attorney Adam Pike, Advocate Dr Ravin ‘Rocky’
(brother) Ramdass and Mike van der Nest SC.
The three Angels, Nina Teicholz, Dr Zoë Harcombe PhD and Dr Caryn Zinn
PhD.
– Professor Tim Noakes
I dedicate this book to Bruce Cohen, my husband, my greatest fan and critic, and
a much better writer than I could ever hope to be; my darling daughter, Demi
Bender, uber-organised artist, muso and ‘finance whizz’; my beloved son,
Joshua Cohen, ever-energetic food-wallah, seeker and wanderer; and my
precious grandchildren, Jethro and Indiana Bender Tait, who generously shared
their Yiayia with the computer for so many months. You all gave me time, space
and confidence to revel in the vital, riotous scientific ride that is this book.
– Marika Sboros
Acknowledgements
I survived, sanity intact, the unfathomable cruelty of the bigotry, bullying and
betrayal described in this book only because a small group of gracious and
tenacious heroes – ‘the righteous and the holy’ – was guiding my train.* I can
never repay the debt that I owe them. My words cannot adequately convey the
unreserved love, joyful thanks and eternal gratitude that I feel for each one of
them.
Without the resolute courage, objective counsel and loving support of my
thoughtful, strong-willed and super-intelligent wife, Marilyn Anne, I would not
have made it through. The forces arrayed against us wholly underestimated the
strength of the single person for whom they were no match. For the six years of
our personal inquisition, she has stood resolute, refusing to succumb. She was
the foundation on which we built our joint defence and on which we ultimately
defeated the worst efforts of the ‘gamblers’, ‘wheeler dealers’ and ‘big shot
ramblers’.
Our children, Travis and Candice, were equally resolute and unflinching in
their support. They, too, refused to be bullied. Now that it is over, I can begin to
repay them for their love and loyalty while I inhabited that other, distracted
world.
My sister, Amanda-Louise ‘Mandy’ Ruysch van Dugteren, has been a pillar of
strength. She understood exactly what the ‘trial’ would have meant to our
parents, and her unqualified support was a daily reminder that my father and
mother would have been in the front row cheering all of us on.
The ultimate irony is that Amanda had adopted the LCHF diet with great
success after she discovered The Low Carbohydrate Diet by E.L. Fiore,
published in 1965, while living in London in the swinging 60s. But she would
only share her secret with me after my Damascene moment, explaining that I
was the qualified medical ‘expert’ and that she was not about to tell me I had it
all wrong! It would take me 36 years to begin to catch up with her advanced
knowledge of practical nutrition.
Attorney Adam Pike directed what I now know as the best legal team in South
Africa. Adam’s obsessive eye for detail was apparent in the 26 days of flawless
presentation that he orchestrated with unbridled passion, focused intelligence,
steadfast confidence and irreverent humour. Not for one instant did he falter or
misstep.
In terms of their brilliance, benevolence, honesty and desire to see justice
prevail whatever the personal cost, senior counsel Mike van der Nest and
Advocate Dr Ravin ‘Rocky’ Ramdass (who by mutual consent is now my
‘brother’) are in a league of their own. I cannot recall meeting two more
remarkable men. Their compassion in recognising a fellow human (and family)
in severe distress and their offer to defend me without thought of financial
reward are evidence of their astonishing humanity and humility.
The author Jeffrey Archer wrote: ‘Some people stand by you in your darkest
hour while others walk away; only a select few march towards you and become
even closer friends.’ I had to survive the dark moments to understand Archer’s
meaning, for in my darkest hour, Mike and Rocky marched towards me,
becoming my superheroes. And my eternal friends.
The three Angels – Dr Zoë Harcombe PhD, Nina Teicholz and Dr Caryn Zinn
PhD – who joined our glory train from Wales, the United States and New
Zealand respectively, are quite simply three of the bravest and most important
minds fighting the disinformation that fronts as modern global ‘heart-healthy’
dietary advice. In Chapter 13, Marika Sboros accurately captures the massive
impact their assured poise, personal integrity and honest testimony had on the
conduct and outcome of my trial. Their presence attested to another defining
characteristic of the luminaries of the LCHF revolution: their ambition is not
personal; it is to advance a cause much greater than themselves.
I met Dr Andreas Obholzer in the first week of my medical training in
February 1969; he has been a constant friend and source of inspiration ever
since. He and his wife, Dr Karin von Wenzel Obholzer, flew in from Windhoek
for each session of the hearing to support Marilyn and me during our hours of
need. Again, your best friends are those who march to you to share your darkest
moments.
At his own cost and in his own time, Glen Thomas filmed the trial and big-
heartedly allowed The Noakes Foundation to post the material online at
https://www.thenoakesfoundation.org/news/videos. Thanks Glen – your
kindness and generosity ensured that the trial was recorded for posterity, as it
actually happened.
Emeritus Professor J.P. van Niekerk kindly consented to contribute the
foreword. As dean of the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences, and despite concerted
criticisms that it is not and never will be a science – it is simply too ‘Mickey
Mouse’ – J.P. had the vision (and courage) to champion the introduction of
sports science into his faculty in 1981. He appointed me a sports science lecturer
that same year. Neither of us would ever have believed that 36 years later we
would still be on the same side, continuing the fight against witlessness
masquerading as intelligence.
Marika Sboros has correctly acknowledged the brilliant editing skills of
Bronwen Maynier, with which I concur absolutely. Marika herself has many
kind words to say about me in her acknowledgements. The reality is that without
her contribution, this book would have been a lame shadow of what it has
become. Like J.P. van Niekerk, Marika represents the skills, the training, the
integrity and the social conscience of a bygone era. When she turned those
unique skills to reporting the hearing on Twitter (@MarikaSboros) and on
Foodmed.net, she ensured that the world would know the truth about what was
actually happening. Her work helped keep everyone honest.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the support of the hundreds of thousands
of people all around the world who have adopted the Banting/LCHF diet and
who have expressed their thanks especially through social media, such as the
800 000-plus strong Banting Seven Day Meal Plan Facebook page begun by Rita
Venter.
In the end we are all fighting this cause for you, for your health and for that of
your families.
Your support confirms that it is worth the discomfort.
This train is indeed bound for glory.
TIM NOAKES

* A reference to the traditional American gospel song, ‘This train is bound for glory’, with new words by
Woody Guthrie. © 1958 (renewed) by Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc.
‘This train is bound for glory,
Don’t carry nothing but the righteous and the holy.
This train is bound for glory, this train.
…
This train don’t carry no gamblers,
Liars, thieves, nor big shot ramblers,
This train is bound for glory, this train.
…
This train don’t carry no con men,
No wheeler dealers, here and gone men,
This train don’t carry no con men, this train.’
Acknowledgements
There’s an old saying in the East that when the student is ready, the teacher will
appear. Appropriately enough, Professor Tim Noakes appeared on my Skype
screen in early 2014. It was clear from the start that he was a natural-born
teacher and slayer of nutrition’s dogma dragons. He started rocking my
worldview and hasn’t stopped. Thus began the remarkable journey it is my
privilege to travel with him today. He has taught me that most of what I thought
was right about nutrition, medicine, disease, health, hearts and healing was
wrong. As American journalist and satirist Henry Mencken once said:
‘Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known
solution to every human problem – neat, plausible, and wrong.’
I have learnt lots else from Tim: about the power of truth, about integrity,
whistleblowing, challenging conventional ‘wisdom’, facing bullies, and that
universities are not always hallowed halls of learning. They can be shark-
infested waters, teeming with conflicts of interest and professional jealousies.
And in early 2017, when he invited me to co-author this book, I leapt at the
chance to document his fight for scientific truth.
Through Tim, I have gained many new friends and guiding lights in nutrition
and medical science. Among them are Tim’s Angels, Dr Zoë Harcombe, Nina
Teicholz and Dr Caryn Zinn, all formidable intellects, women of integrity and
courage, beautiful from the inside out. They flew from far-flung lands to testify
for him. My guides have also included Tim’s legal brothers in arms, the
Archangels, as we call them: Michael van der Nest SC, Dr Ravin ‘Rocky’
Ramdass and Adam Pike. They came well equipped with weaponry to temper
the ferocity of the forces trying to silence him for his views on butter, eggs,
bacon and broccoli. Watching the brothers at work, I was relieved not to be on
the receiving end of their sharpened, shining legal swords. It helped, of course,
that Tim has right and robust science on his side.
Watching over us all throughout this never-ending journey has been Tim’s
wife, Marilyn Anne. Another beautiful spirit from the inside and as brilliantly
fierce a Guardian Angel as he could wish to have on the hard road the trial
forced him to travel. I am proud to call this remarkable couple my friends.
My thanks also to Penguin Random House’s wonderwomen publishing team:
Marlene Fryer, Ronel Richter-Herbert and Bronwen Maynier. Your guidance,
input and perceptive corrections are gratefully accepted.
Last but not least, I give thanks to my first guiding lights, my beloved parents:
my mother Nora Sboros and my late father Demetrius ‘Jimmy’ Sboros, and to Dr
Ann Childers in the wings.
MARIKA SBOROS