Anti-Banting ‘facts’ simply indigestible

IT is bizarre to think that a “published researcher” would publish their opinions without even the most basic amount of actual research.

Every published researcher must be doubly sure of their facts as any errors would cast serious doubt over any/all previously published work.

For this reason, it is difficult to understand why such a person would immediately take an anti-Banting stance and then try to defend it without even the most rudimentary grasp of the facts.

In this instance, Norman Goldstuck (“Banting be gone – carbs keep us clever”, October 25) says Banting is socially irresponsible as seven billion people cannot eat mainly protein.

This immediately shows Goldstuck’s ignorance and suggests his bias (not good traits for a researcher) as Banting is anything but “mainly protein”. In fact, even a cursory scan of the internet will reveal that Banting is more commonly referred to as “low-carb, high-fat” (LCHF). Readers will notice the absence of any mention of protein in that description. Essentially, Banting replaces carbohydrates with fats and protein stays the same.

We all have to believe in various “experts” in all aspects of life as we cannot know the answers to all questions. In this particular example, Professor Tim Noakes informs us that, in fact, our bodies (including our brains) have absolutely no need for carbohydrates. Think of a breast-fed infant who has a zero carbohydrate intake; their brains function perfectly well and are at their most active development stage.

For me, the prof is one such person whose opinions I trust to be well researched and backed by scientific data (there are simply too many people determined to discredit him and his views that any data presented by him has to be of the highest quality). I expect he would be only too happy to point you towards the (presumable) mountain of data to support this statement.

Goldstuck’s latest “findings” come at a particularly unfortunate juncture for him as, on the same day his letter was published, Professor Noakes and his team completely and utterly debunked the current South African dietary guidelines in an official hearing of the Health Professions Council of SA.

My only conclusion for Mr Goldstuck’s irrational and unresearched opinions is that perhaps he has retired from medicine and now grows wheat.