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| Obesity charity board members quit over dietary advice row | Obesity charity board members quit over dietary advice row |
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| More than half the board of Britain’s leading anti-obesity charity have resigned over its controversial dietary advice, which has led to furious internal rows and condemnation from government public health officials. | More than half the board of Britain’s leading anti-obesity charity have resigned over its controversial dietary advice, which has led to furious internal rows and condemnation from government public health officials. |
| Four of the seven members of the National Obesity Forum (NOF) board have already quit and a fifth is understood to be considering following suit after a report, apparently with the charity’s support, suggested people should eat more fat, cut carbohydrates and not bother counting calories. | Four of the seven members of the National Obesity Forum (NOF) board have already quit and a fifth is understood to be considering following suit after a report, apparently with the charity’s support, suggested people should eat more fat, cut carbohydrates and not bother counting calories. |
| Public Health England said the report was irresponsible and misleading to the public. It has caused most of the forum’s board members to quit in protest as well as causing fury among nutritionists. | Public Health England said the report was irresponsible and misleading to the public. It has caused most of the forum’s board members to quit in protest as well as causing fury among nutritionists. |
| Matt Capehorn, the charity’s clinical director, one of those who has resigned, told the Guardian that a press release had been sent out without board members having seen the report and with them having had no input. | Matt Capehorn, the charity’s clinical director, one of those who has resigned, told the Guardian that a press release had been sent out without board members having seen the report and with them having had no input. |
| It was being portrayed as an NOF document, he said, “which is very misleading because it gives that document an air of authority”. He said publication under the forum’s badge was irresponsible, while parts of the recommended advice were unacceptable. | It was being portrayed as an NOF document, he said, “which is very misleading because it gives that document an air of authority”. He said publication under the forum’s badge was irresponsible, while parts of the recommended advice were unacceptable. |
| Others who have resigned are Deborah Cook, a diabetes nurse, Jen Nash, a clinical psychologist, and the obstetrician and gynaecologist Sangeeta Agnihotri. | Others who have resigned are Deborah Cook, a diabetes nurse, Jen Nash, a clinical psychologist, and the obstetrician and gynaecologist Sangeeta Agnihotri. |
| Capehorn had previously expressed fears to fellow board members that the the forum might become “a professional leper”. He said David Haslam, the forum’s chair, had previously emailed board members suggesting they would be able to look at it before it was finalised. That did not happen, he said. | Capehorn had previously expressed fears to fellow board members that the the forum might become “a professional leper”. He said David Haslam, the forum’s chair, had previously emailed board members suggesting they would be able to look at it before it was finalised. That did not happen, he said. |
| The report Eat Fat, Cut the Carbs and Avoid Snacking to Reverse Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes (pdf) is so sensitive it was never published on the forum’s own website and instead appears on that of the Public Health Collaboration. But it bears the NOF logo on its front page. | The report Eat Fat, Cut the Carbs and Avoid Snacking to Reverse Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes (pdf) is so sensitive it was never published on the forum’s own website and instead appears on that of the Public Health Collaboration. But it bears the NOF logo on its front page. |
| The paper, drafted by a number of authors from around the world, was co-ordinated by Aseem Malholtra, a cardiologist who has been a leader of the anti-sugar movement. | The paper, drafted by a number of authors from around the world, was co-ordinated by Aseem Malholtra, a cardiologist who has been a leader of the anti-sugar movement. |
| Capehorn, a GP in Rotherham who also run the town’s Institute for Obesity, said: “There were elements of the paper we quite liked. We do agree that fat has been demonised for the last generation and there is a lot more to it. It might not be as bad as we thought. | Capehorn, a GP in Rotherham who also run the town’s Institute for Obesity, said: “There were elements of the paper we quite liked. We do agree that fat has been demonised for the last generation and there is a lot more to it. It might not be as bad as we thought. |
| “We also believe, as the paper suggests, that we all eat too many carbohydrates, especially added sugar,” Capehorn said. | |
| But none of the rest of the board could accept some statements, including suggesting that people could ignore calories. “‘So long as you are eating fat, you can eat as much as you want without putting weight on. Forget about the calories. It is a waste of time.’ That flies in the face of all of the evidence,” Capehorn said | |
| “There were statements such as the amount of added sugar people can eat should be zero. Zero suggests a ban. We don’t need to ban anything. Anything can be eaten as part of a nutritionally balanced, controlled diet. There is no harm in a little bit of added sugar, say, to flavour food.” | “There were statements such as the amount of added sugar people can eat should be zero. Zero suggests a ban. We don’t need to ban anything. Anything can be eaten as part of a nutritionally balanced, controlled diet. There is no harm in a little bit of added sugar, say, to flavour food.” |
| Capehorn said there had been “a week of wrangling” during which board members dissenting with Haslam, one of several named authors, had tried to get a statement agreed indicating the differences between board members. | Capehorn said there had been “a week of wrangling” during which board members dissenting with Haslam, one of several named authors, had tried to get a statement agreed indicating the differences between board members. |
| Instead a statement had gone up on the forum website which, said Capehorn, “draws more attention to the document and is not clear in stating that we had nothing to do with it”. | Instead a statement had gone up on the forum website which, said Capehorn, “draws more attention to the document and is not clear in stating that we had nothing to do with it”. |
| The statement says in its 11th paragraph: “The rest of the board of the NOF wish to make it completely and transparently clear that they were not given the opportunity to see the document, or give any input into it and some members’ opinions differ from those specifically presented in the document.” | The statement says in its 11th paragraph: “The rest of the board of the NOF wish to make it completely and transparently clear that they were not given the opportunity to see the document, or give any input into it and some members’ opinions differ from those specifically presented in the document.” |
| But this comes after a listing of the authors, a brief flavour of the debate it has caused, and what the statement calls the historical context. “Predictably our document has polarised opinion, hence the need for this statement,” it then says. | But this comes after a listing of the authors, a brief flavour of the debate it has caused, and what the statement calls the historical context. “Predictably our document has polarised opinion, hence the need for this statement,” it then says. |
| The Guardian attempted to contact Haslam on Friday but was unsuccessful. On Thursday he said he was “not stepping back on the content” of the report, which had been backed by experts around the world. | The Guardian attempted to contact Haslam on Friday but was unsuccessful. On Thursday he said he was “not stepping back on the content” of the report, which had been backed by experts around the world. |
| “They [the NOF] do not disagree with the content of the report, just the way in which the report was published without their final say on it. Other board members feel quite rightly, that, had they known that this [report] would be going round the planet, they would have wanted a more emphatic input in it. I agree and apologise.” | “They [the NOF] do not disagree with the content of the report, just the way in which the report was published without their final say on it. Other board members feel quite rightly, that, had they known that this [report] would be going round the planet, they would have wanted a more emphatic input in it. I agree and apologise.” |
| The forum was set up by Haslam, a GP, in 2000. But Capehorn said: “We all felt there was a major governance issue here.” He added: “One person, whether it is the chair or not, can’t put out a document which is an opinion piece as an NOF document, when none of the rest of the board knew anything about it.” | The forum was set up by Haslam, a GP, in 2000. But Capehorn said: “We all felt there was a major governance issue here.” He added: “One person, whether it is the chair or not, can’t put out a document which is an opinion piece as an NOF document, when none of the rest of the board knew anything about it.” |
| Capehorn said that at the forum’s peak, “it was a really good effective organisation and a brilliant charity”. He added that he was not paid for his work as clinical director. “It is just the nature of the beast that organisations get peaks and troughs with funding and support. In the last few years, there hasn’t really been any. | Capehorn said that at the forum’s peak, “it was a really good effective organisation and a brilliant charity”. He added that he was not paid for his work as clinical director. “It is just the nature of the beast that organisations get peaks and troughs with funding and support. In the last few years, there hasn’t really been any. |
| “It came down to a choice of ‘do we ask him to resign or do we resign?’ It was more of a loyalty thing, because he was one of the founder members of the NOF. It has been his organisation.” | “It came down to a choice of ‘do we ask him to resign or do we resign?’ It was more of a loyalty thing, because he was one of the founder members of the NOF. It has been his organisation.” |
| Capehorn added: “Unless David is prepared to dissolve it, reinvent it, it obviously is the end.” | Capehorn added: “Unless David is prepared to dissolve it, reinvent it, it obviously is the end.” |