Pete Evans’ most dangerous health claims
Pete Evans has recently caught flak for promoting the work of prominent anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy.
This is not the first health-related controversy that Evans has had. Over the years, the celebrity chef has been criticised for spreading misinformation. Evans, who has no qualifications in medicine or nutrition, has been accused of endangering the lives of his fans by giving unscientific dietary and medical advice through his books, media appearances and social media pages.
Here are some of his health claims, busted by experts and medical professionals.
Claim: Dairy removes calcium from bones
In a 2016 Facebook Q&A session, the My Kitchen Rules judge advised a woman with osteoporosis to remove dairy from her diet. He said he would “strongly suggest removing dairy … as calcium from dairy can remove the calcium from your bones”, and that “most doctors do not know this information”.
Evans was quoting old data which said calcium might be acidic and caused bone resorption, said Professor Peter Ebeling, medical director of Osteoporosis Australia and head of medicine at Monash University.
“We know that’s not true … He’s absolutely wrong in this regard,” Dr Ebeling told the ABC. “It is important to get calcium from your diet. Dairy products are the richest sources of calcium in our diet.”
Other healthy sources of calcium include nuts, sardines and green leafy vegetables.
Claim: Sunscreen is toxic
Evans has claimed that sunscreen is full of “poisonous chemicals” and said he does not use any sun protection. “The silly thing is people put on normal chemical sunscreen then lay out in the sun for hours on end and think that they are safe because they have covered themselves in poisonous chemicals, which is a recipe for disaster as we are witnessing these days,” he said. He has also advocated staring into the sun or sungazing, which could lead to UV damage, macular degeneration and permanent blindness.
The Therapeutic Goods Association, which regulates sunscreens sold in Australia, confirmed that nano-sized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide particles commonly found in the products do not penetrate the skin and are unlikely to “cause harm when used as ingredients in sunscreens”.
Cancer Council Australia has slammed Evans’ statement as “irresponsible” and “dangerous”. “Australia is the world’s skin cancer capital, yet skin cancer is the most preventable of all common cancer types,” Ian Olver, CEO of Cancer Council Australia wrote on The Conversation. “Sun protection can reduce your risk of skin cancer at any age.”
A comprehensive study monitoring 1,600 adults in Queensland found that people regularly applying sunscreen developed significantly fewer squamous cell carninomas over four-and-a-half years, and half as many melanomas as those not applying sunscreen over ten years. Sunscreen users were also found to develop.
Claim: Bone broth is an alternative to breast milk
Evans co-authored the e-cookbook Bubba Yum Yum: The Paleo Way For New Mums, Babies and Toddlers, which included a recommendation to feed infants bone broth as a baby formula. The recipe, titled “Baby Building Broth”, uses chicken bones, liver and apple cider vinegar among others to create a “homemade formula” which he claimed could be given for babies up to six months of age “who can’t take human milk”.
Professor Heather Yeatman of the Public Health Association warned that the formula could be dangerous for babies. “There appears to be recommendations not to use either breast milk or an approved infant formula, but to provide other foods to infants under six months of age and that really is a big health risk,” she told the ABC.
Dietitians pointed out that the recipe contained 10 times the maximum safe daily intake of vitamin A for infants, and consumption could lead to overdose.
Claim: Drinking water with fluoride during pregnancy lowers the baby’s IQ
The chef claimed that fluoride is a “neurotoxin” and a “major contributor for thyroid, brain and degenerative diseases”. He also advised his fans to protect their dental health by converting to a paleo diet instead. He claimed to have been consuming fluoride-free water for nearly 30 years.
In Australia, water fluoridation began in the 1956. Sydney and Melbourne have been fluoridated since 1968 and 1977 respectively.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) analysis of over 60 years of scientific research and 3,000 studies has confirmed that adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies is a safe and effective measure for preventing tooth decay, reducing the incidence in children, teenagers and adults by 26 to 44 per cent.
It also found that fluoridated water consumption had no link with IQ, cognitive function, cancer, mortality and Down’s syndrome. The Department of Health also stated there was no evidence that water fluoridation at Australian levels is associated with thyroid dysfunction.
“By preventing tooth decay and all of its associated pain and suffering, community water fluoridation saves money both for individuals, including dental treatments and time off work or school, and the healthcare system,” NHMRC fluoride reference group member Professor Clive Wright told The Guardian.