Ruling expected in Tim Noakes case
The HPCSA is expected to make a ruling in the misconduct hearing of sports scientist Tim Noakes on Friday.
Noakes, whose book The Real Meal Revolution promotes a low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diet, was called before the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) after the former president of the Association for Dietetics in South Africa, Claire Julsing-Strydom, lodged a complaint against him.
It was prompted by a tweet Noakes sent to a Pippa Leenstra after she asked him for advice on feeding babies and on breastfeeding.
Her tweet read: "@ProfTimNoakes @SalCreed is LCHF eating ok for breastfeeding mums? Worried about all the dairy + cauliflower = wind for babies?? [sic]"
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Noakes advised her to wean her child onto LCHF foods, which he described as "real" foods.
His tweet read: "Baby doesn't eat the dairy and cauliflower. Just very healthy high-fat breast milk. Key is to ween [sic] baby onto LCHF."
The HSPCA incorrectly released a statement in October in which it said it found Noakes guilty of unprofessional conduct. It quickly retracted the statement and apologised.
Noakes's lawyer, Michael van der Nest, had argued that in the present case there was not a shred of evidence to show that anybody had been harmed. Noakes had no doctor/patient relationship with Leenstra and had not given her medical advice.