‘They shouldn’t screen it. The risk is too great’: Paleo Pete’s doco under fire again

IT’S a bitter pill. Celeb chef Pete Evans is again defending his controversial doco as the AMA calls on Netflix to pull it.

PALEO Pete Evans has come out swinging as the Australian Medical Association (AMA) renews its attack on his controversial documentary, The Magic Pill.

The doco came under fire when first released last year, but the AMA has put it back in the spotlight after Netflix added it to its content list.

And that’s something Evans has no plans to swallow.

The doco, about the ketogenic diet, in which people claim a diet rich in protein and fat but low in carbs can help relieve everything from epilepsy to autism to asthma, has been available since May on the streaming giant.

But the AMA has called on Netflix to pull the doco, narrated and produced by the celeb chef and My Kitchen Rules judge, saying the “risk of misinformation is too great”.

New AMA president Dr Tony Bartone said he’s worried “vulnerable members of society” — like people with cancer — might believe some of the doco’s claims over the advice of health professionals.

“All forms of media have to take a responsible attitude when trying to spread a message of wellness,” he told Fairfax.

“Netflix should do the responsible thing. They shouldn’t screen it. The risk of misinformation … is too great.”

He slammed Evans, saying he respected his “ability and expertise in the kitchen, but that’s where it begins and ends”.

“I would never dream of telling him how to prepare a meal. However, when it comes to the trusted health of our patients, everyone should turn to a health professional. That is, in the first instance, your GP.”

The promotional trailer for The Magic Pill features a woman with cancer who states that her ‘tumour started shrinking’ and the mother of an epileptic child who says her daughter stopped having seizures after following the diet.

Dr Bartone said while cutting out one or more food groups could result in weight loss it can “make certain other conditions worse”.

Evans quickly hit back via posts on Instagram and Facebook, asking if the AMA was scared of people becoming healthy.

“Is the bigger picture for the AMA that this simple approach may actually hurt the industries that rely on a large percentage of the population being sick?

“Perhaps the bigger question to ask would be, ‘is the head of the AMA fearful of people in Australia becoming healthy?’ What would this mean to their industry,” he continued.

“Does the head of the AMA believe that eating vegetables and fruit with a side of well sourced meat/seafood/eggs to be a dangerous way of life? If so can they please share the evidence that this way of eating is detrimental to the health of human beings.”

The opening of The Magic Pill contains a note saying exercise, sleep and other lifestyle choices also play an important role in improving a person’s overall health and wellbeing and says people should always consult with their doctor or health professional before starting a new diet.

In his Facebook response on Sunday, Evans asked why Dr Bartone believed “choosing to eat a non inflammatory diet that is promoted by doctors in our film is considered dangerous to the humans that choose wisely what they put into their bodies?”

The slugfest over The Magic Pill began last year in August when medical professionals first discredited the “science” in the doco and called for it to be axed.

Back then, the AMA’s then-boss Dr Michael Gannon tweeted that The Magic Pill was nominated in the “annual awards for the Film/TV least likely to contribute to the #publichealth”.

Dr Gannon told The Courier Mail at the time the film’s depiction of the high-fat, low-carb diet treating conditions such as autism, diabetes and cancer was “patently ridiculous” and “harmful”.

Of the inclusion of The Magic Pill in its line-up, Netflix says it programs “for a wide audience”.

Not content to just focus on human health, Evans recently launched a range of pet food. Picture: Supplied.