25 May 2017 BANT Statement on Irish ASA and Patricia Daly

BANT has noted the adjudication published on 4 May by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland on a complaint against Patricia Daly, a BANT member, brought by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute and  the Irish Cancer Society. BANT has had detailed consultations with lawyers and other stakeholders about the case.

BANT is unable to comment on the evidence in support of the Irish Food Pyramid as a proven diet for use with cancer patients.

BANT experts are clear that there is now a weight and trajectory of evidence that ketone bodies are key regulators of physiological homeostasis, viz. food anticipation, protection from inflammation and injury in multiple organ systems, including the nervous system, and even possibly why caloric restriction extends life span. Where evidence on diet and health is equivocal or incomplete then the precautionary principle demands that risk-based assessments are part of professional practice. BANT is clear that the weight of evidence on diet and inflammatory disease mechanisms, including cancer and dementia, is now such that carbohydrate control assessment should be included as a norm.

BANT will be producing a general infographic on dietary tips for cancer patients in the autumn.