British Medical Journal stands behind article by “Big Fat Surprise” author Nina Teicholz

There was plenty of controversy leading up to the federal 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines issued last January, much of it surrounding the recommendations by an advisory panel around meat consumption. Prior to the guidelines being published, Nina Teicholz, author of “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Die”, published an article in the BMJ (formerly The British Medical Journal) questioning the scientific rigor of the expert panel recommendations. Her article touched off a storm of protests by members of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) and advocacy and research groups that have long championed a diet high in carbohydrates and low in saturated fats. The groups called for the BMJ to withdraw the article. Today, after a long review, the BMJ publicly declared, “independent experts find no grounds for retraction of The BMJ article on dietary guidelines.”