Doctors respond to Pete Evans’ controversial dairy claims
Celebrity chef and Paleo diet devotee Pete Evans has copped backlash once again after he suggested dairy actually removed calcium from bones during a Facebook Q & A session on the weekend. The claims come after he responded to a question from an osteoporosis sufferer, telling her to “[remove] dairy and [eat] the paleo way as calcium from dairy can remove the calcium from your bones,” adding, “most doctors do not know this information.”
His comments incurred outrage from doctors around the country, namely Dr Brad Robinson who addressed Evans in an open letter on Facebook. “You are a chef, not a doctor,” Dr Robinson wrote. “You are not someone who magically knows things that the sum of total generations of medical research has determined.”
Other members of the medical community have also voiced their anger at Evans’ claims and their support for Dr Robinson’s letter. Medical director of Osteoporosis Australia Dr Peter Ebeling said the My Kitchen Rules chef’s suggestion was based on outdated data proven to be untrue. “It is important to get calcium from your diet,” Dr Ebeling told ABC News. “Dairy products are the richest sources of calcium in our diet.”
Contrary to what Evans said, neglecting dairy in our diets actually puts us at risk of osteoporosis and other bone health issues. Additionally, those who consumed more dairy were found to live a healthier life, according to a 2013 study. “Calcium is an important building block for healthy bones throughout life – through childhood to older age,” Dr Ebeling added.
Tell us in the comments below, what did you think of Evans’ controversial comments?
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