Dukan Diet guru faces ethics hearing

Dr. Pierre Dukan © RexThe doctor behind the Dukan Diet faces a hearing after suggesting teenage students in France should be given extra credit by staying thin.

In a book published in January, Dr. Pierre Dukan proposed that France’s baccalaureate exam, the French equivalent of A-levels, should include an ‘anti-obesity’ test that students may pass by staying within a recommended weight range, the BBC reported.

The celebrity diet guru insisted the idea was not discriminatory as pupils already overweight at the start of the two-year baccalaureate course would score double points if they managed to slim down.

However The French College of Physicians said Dr. Dukan was in breach of the French medical ethics code that states “a doctor must be aware of the repercussions his views have on the public.”

The college has filed a complaint against Dukan for negative remarks, which they believe could harm teenagers already struggling with obesity or anorexia.

If he is found guilty at an impending disciplinary hearing, he could face a reprimand or even be struck off the French medical register.

In a second complaint, the College of Physicians said the dietician was more focused on making money than on medicine — another ethics breach.

However, Dr. Dukan fails to see the problem with his comments.

“There’s nothing unhealthy about educating and motivating youngsters on nutrition,” he said.

Dr. Dukan found fame after developing the Dukan Diet – a high protein diet that has proved to be successful with a host of celebrities including The Duchess of Cambridge, Katherine Jenkins, Jennifer Lopez and supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

The book The Dukan Diet, was introduced in the UK two years ago and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, been translated into 14 languages and published in 32 countries.

Despite its huge following health critics have branded the diet a “health hazard” as it focuses on a meal plan rich in lean proteins and almost excludes vegetables and carbohydrates which they argue are needed for a healthy, balanced diet.