Dr. Pierre Dukan, the French founder of the controversial Dukan Diet, is facing an ethics hearing for his suggestion that French high school students should be rewarded on exams for not being overweight.
Dukan, who’s wildly successful high-protein, low-carb diet has a celebrity following that includes Kate Middleton, made a public recommendation that France’s baccalaureate exam include an “anti-obesity” section that students can pass by staying within their recommended weight range. The exam is required for 17 year olds to finish high school and enter college.
Health professionals immediately responded to the comment, outraged, and the French College of Physicians says Dukan violated the country’s medical ethics code that states “a doctor must be aware of the repercussions his views can have on the public.” The College claims Dukan’s statements were reckless and could do damage to overweight teens and those struggling with eating disorders.
“Everything about this is wrong,” Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, told ABC News. “It’s wrong because it invites eating disorders. It’s wrong because weight has nothing to do with academic performance… and the notion that weight is a behavior that should incentivized is just wrong. Weight is an outcome. We should incentivize things people can control.”
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by Kelsey Murray
Pierre Dukan is the author of The Dukan Diet, and his books have sold millions of copies around the world, thanks in no small part to being Kate Middleton’s rumored diet. Now, the author is dipping his toes into the political arena by offering advice concerning the national obesity problem.
Dukan suggested to the future president of France that students should receive higher marks for staying within a specified body mass index range.
“For those who don’t need to lose weight, it wouldn’t change anything,” said Dukan. “For the others, it would motivate them.”
Dukan says that half of the population is overweight and that this trend has doubled in the past 12 years. He seems to think that targeting students under the age of 18 is one way to curb this problem.
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Fact-checked or not, there’s nothing quite like a celebrity endorsement to make a diet’s popularity skyrocket. In 2011, we saw a number of diets get big attention thanks to “inside sources” claiming they were the secret to a star’s slim figure. On the other hand, many diet plans are willing to write big checks in order to put a celebrity face on their advertisements. Here’s a look at the biggest celebrity diet trends of the past year.
1) Dukan Diet
After mother-of-the-bride Carole Middleton said she lost a few pounds on the Dukan Diet, rumors flew that the Duchess of Cambridge was also following the super-low carb diet. Although it was never confirmed that Kate was dieting at all, The Dukan Diet by Dr. Pierre Dukan quickly became a best seller in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
2) Baby Food Diet
Named one of the worst celebrity diets by the British Dietetic Association, the mushy origins of this diet go back to Madonna’s glory days. Supposedly created by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, the diet blew up in 2011 when tabloids claimed that baby food was the secret to Lady Gaga’s slim figure. The star refuted the claims, but this did nothing to quell the diet’s popularly.
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Royal watchers will get an inside look at the first six months of marriage for Prince William and his new wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, in a special airing on NBC December 13. Hosted by Natalie Morales, “William & Kate: Inside the Royal Marriage” will delve deep into the personal lives of these newlyweds. Today we spoke with Matt Drury, executive producer, and Chris Jackson, Getty Images’ award-winning Royal photographer, who worked on the special and let us in on a little bit of what we’ll see on the program and what it’s like to work so closely with the couple.
We’ll see how William and Kate are building a private life that resembles normal as much as the most famous couple in the world can. Drury told us that their home is quite remote and that they do not have any live-in staff. He also noted some insight shared by Royal friend Ben Fogle, who said that the Duke and Duchess are very selective about the friends they associate with, suggesting an “informal agreement that if anyone does talk, they’ll very quickly find themselves banished from the inner circle.”
One of the things that no one ever discusses is Kate’s diet. In fact, Drury let us know that nothing about Kate’s diet will be revealed on the NBC special.
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We’ve published our Most Popular Diets of the Year* list every December since 2008, and one brand has held on to the number one position that entire time. Until this year. In 2011 the 17 Day Diet jumped ahead of Weight Watchers. With one million copies sold, a Spanish version, a workbook, and a cookbook publishing March 2012, it’s no surprise that Dr. Mike Moreno’s 17 Day Diet was the most talked about weight loss program this year.
Weight Watchers maintained a strong position in the top 10, thanks in part to the new PointsPlus program and impressive endorsement from Jennifer Hudson.
Jillian Michaels has the most products on our list of 20, with three of her personal brands’ products holding positions in the top ten. She might have left The Biggest Loser, but her appeal is as big as ever.
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