Noakes’s way is back on the menu

NUTRITION experts have welcomed the Health Professions Council of SA not guilty verdict on sport scientist and Banting expert Prof Tim Noakes.

Noakes was cleared of professional misconduct on Friday by the council’s professional conduct committee after a lengthy legal battle.

The fight began in 2014 when he provided medical advice on social media site Twitter to a breastfeeding mother.

The Nutrition Society of SA said: “We are glad the hearing has been finalised after almost three years, unless there is an appeal.the judgment, however, has no bearing on the current or future status of nutrition or the dietary guidelines in SA.”

The society said it was not concerned about the status of South African dietary guidelines or the science around nutrition as they had not changed due to the hearing.

The Association for Dietetics in South Africa, which lodged the complaint against Noakes after his tweet, also welcomed the judgment.

However, it called for clear guidelines to be implemented to regulate patient interaction, outlining the use and limits of social media by health practitioners.

“The association recognises social media provides significant opportunities for public health. We accept the verdict and are relieved the hearing has been concluded.

“We welcome the precedent set by this case on what we considered unconventional advice. The case also set a precedent on the use and limits of social media by health professionals.

“For us the hearing was never about winning or losing, or standing for or against Noakes. It was about protecting the health of babies and future adults,” said president Maryke Gallagher.

“We will study the verdict and decide what implications it has for the association and dieticians. We also call on the HPCSA to provide guidelines for health professionals’ use of social media,” she said.

Advocate Joan Adams‚ who chairs an independent panel that considered the misconduct charge against Noakes, announced the verdict in Cape Town, bringing a close to the three-year-long trial.

Noakes came under scrutiny in February 2014 after he advised Pippa Leenstra to wean her newborn baby on to a low-carbohydrate, highfat (LCHF) diet when she had tweeted him and nutritional therapist Sally-ann Creed about whether it was safe for mothers to be on the Banting diet while breastfeeding.

Noakes had replied: “Baby doesn’t eat the dairy and cauliflower. Just very healthy highfat breast milk. Key is to ween (sic) baby on to LCHF.”

Noakes, who has not practised as a general practitioner for years, faced the possibility of losing his medical licence if found guilty.