Dr. Jim Mann, Professor in Human Nutrition and Medicine at the University of Otago.

Professor in Human Nutrition and Medicine at the University of Otago

Professor in Human Nutrition, Jim Mann, and several other notable people and groups challenged what Dr Schofield was doing (2013).

“Avoiding and treating obesity is central to reducing chronic diseases, including several of the most commonly occurring cancers in New Zealand; type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.”

"There is no evidence that this is achieved in the long term by very low-carbohydrate high-fat diets," says Professor Mann.

Prof Mann wrote an article at the request of The Lancet to counter the misinformation and uncertainty about Low Carbohydrate High Fat diets. (August 2016)

"What we're saying in this editorial is that the dietary guidelines that exist in New Zealand and internationally - by every authoritative agency in the world - are actually right. Those basic principles of nutrition still hold."

Prof Mann warned that fads encouraging people to avoid carbohydrates were not only misleading but potentially dangerous.

It really causes me pain to say in public that Prof. Mann has to be wrong this time. It must be difficult when the discipline you've devoted a life too, suddenly changes; now there's a new paradigm which makes more sense and produces much better results. Science will have the last say.

Prof. Jim Mann

There's probably no nutritionist in New Zealand more respected than Dr Jim Mann.

He has been involved with a number of international and national organisations concerned with nutrition, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He was appointed to the WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) in 2009 and the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Nutrition in 2011.

In New Zealand he chaired the National Heart Foundation’s Scientific Committee, and the Ministry of Health Nutrition Advisory Group. He currently serves on the Ministry of Health National Diabetes Services Improvement Group.

As Principal Investigator he was awarded the University of Otago Distinguished Research Medal in 2002. He was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Medicine in 2003. He was also awarded the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Dunedin School of Medicine for 2005.

Professor Mann serves as Medical Advisor to Diabetes New Zealand with particular reference to their publication “Diabetes”, Patron of Diabetes Otago and Trustee of several diabetes related charitable trusts. He has served as chairperson and President of the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes (NZSSD).

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