Marika Sboros

[[File:Marika Sboros.png|thumb|right|165px|Marika Sboros]]
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{{cquote|This low-carb high-fat evangelist, endorser of a [[ketogenic diet]] for health, and vaccine skeptic uses her position as a journalist to promote her erroneous health and nutrition views as science-based to a wide audience. |||Public health scientist on Marika Sboros.<ref name="Kealey">‏[http://www.sheilakealey.com/nutrition-experts-shouldnt-trust-2/#Sboros Nutrition & Health “Experts” You Shouldn’t Trust]</ref>}}

'''Marika Sboros''' is a [[South Africa]]n [[author]], [[journalist]], [[cholesterol denialist]], [[conspiracy theorist]] and [[food woo]] promoter. Sboros is a low-carb, high-fat ([[LCHF]]) fanatic and a poster girl for [[Tim Noakes]].<ref name="Standards">[https://www.synapses.co.za/standards-science-journalism-lchf-banting-biznews/ Standards in science journalism – #LCHF, #Banting and @BiznewsCOM]</ref><ref>[https://shootingthemessenger.blog/2017/01/05/qa-with-marika-sboros/ Q&A with Marika Sboros]</ref>

Sboros has been criticized for publishing diet and health misinformation.<ref name="Kealey"/><ref name="Standards"/><ref name="McAlpine">[https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/less-lore-science-please/ Less lore and more science, please, Prof Noakes]</ref> She operates the LCHF website '''FoodMed.net'''.

==Credentials==

Sboros has a BA degree from University of the Witwatersrand with a major in English.<ref name="About">[http://foodmed.net/about/ About Marika Sboros]</ref> She describes herself as "one of [[South Africa]]'s top writers on medicine for health in body and mind."<ref name="About"/>   
She has no qualifications in medicine or nutrition but spends her time attacking the medical community and promoting [[Big Pharma]] conspiracy theories.<ref>[http://foodmed.net/tag/big-pharma/ Big Pharma]. Examples from her website.</ref> She has written health articles for BizNews.<ref>[https://www.biznews.com/author/msboros Marika Sboros]</ref> Sboros says if anyone can "provide solid science to disprove benefits of LCHF, she’ll publish it."<ref name="About"/> {{lie}}

==Her connections with [[woo]]==
{{conspiracynav}}
* Sboros is a die-hard supporter of [[Tim Noakes]]' low-carb high-fat "Banting Diet". The diet has been criticized by the medical community as unscientific.<ref> [https://www.health24.com/Columnists/Too-much-too-soon-Tim-Noakes-20150109 "Too much, too soon, Tim Noakes!"]. "Our medical community, health authorities and academics (even Noakes’ own colleagues at the University of Cape Town, who formally distanced themselves from his theories) are very concerned that the Banting Diet is simply not based on good science."</ref>
* Sboros has expressed support for the [[anti-vaccination movement]].<ref name="Standards"/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170218140016/http://www.biznews.com/health/2015/02/13/vaccine-zombie-risks-versus-benefits-jabs-debate-goes/ Are you a vaccine zombie? Risks versus benefits of jabs debate goes on]</ref><ref>[https://archive.is/20190108052851/https://twitter.com/MarikaSboros/status/990120542756835328 Marika Sboros on Twitter] (Archived 8 Jan 2019)</ref>
*Sboros has written that one of her favourite sources of health information is Mike Adams of [[NaturalNews]]. Adams is an anti-vaccination and [[HIV/AIDS denialism|HIV/AIDS denialist]] quack.<ref name="Standards"/>
*Sboros wrote an article that was generally supportive of [[homeopathy]].<ref>[https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/health/homeopathy-natural-healing-or-quackery-621954 Homeopathy - natural healing or quackery?]</ref>
*Sboros is a fan of [[Jordan Peterson]] and his daughter for eating a dangerous [[meat-only diet]] as neither "bow down to medical, dietetic dogma."<ref>[https://angry-chef.com/blog/thermidor-part-2/ Thermidor - Part 2]</ref>
*Sboros is a [[Statin denialism|cholesterol and statin denialist]], she claims that saturated fat and blood LDL cholesterol levels do not increase the risk of heart disease and supports the unproven claims of [[Malcolm Kendrick]].<ref>[https://www.biznews.com/health/2015/08/09/marika-sboros-more-good-reason-not-to-fear-fat-or-tim-noakes Marika Sboros: more reason not to fear fat – or Tim Noakes]</ref><ref>[http://foodmed.net/2018/07/saturated-fat-causes-heart-disease-pure-bollocks-kendrick/ Saturated fat causes heart disease? Pure bollocks – Kendrick!]</ref><ref>[http://foodmed.net/2018/07/ldl-sat-fat-heart-puzzle-kendrick-solves-it/ LDL Fat Heart Puzzle: Kendrick Solves It!]</ref><ref>[http://foodmed.net/2016/06/heart-new-evidence-cholesterol-good-saturated-fat-lchf/ Hearty new evidence: even ‘bad’ cholesterol good for you! Hearty new evidence: even ‘bad’ cholesterol good for you!]</ref> A medical expert has described statin denialism as an "internet-driven cult with deadly consequences."<ref>Nissen SE. (2017). [https://theskepticalcardiologist.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/aimed.pdf "Statin Denial: An Internet-Driven Cult With Deadly Consequences"]. Ann Intern Med. 2017 Aug 15;167(4): 281-282.</ref> 
*Sboros is a supporter of [[fad diet]]s, such as the [[paleo diet]]. She says the diet is not dangerous.<ref>[http://foodmed.net/2016/03/169/ Paleo diet: not dangerous for diabetics, doesn't make you fat!]</ref><ref>[https://www.biznews.com/health/low-carb-healthy-fat-science/2016/03/12/paleo-diet-not-dangerous-doesnt-make-fat Paleo diet: not dangerous and doesn’t make you fat]</ref> It is. It can lead to nutritional deficiencies such as lack of calcium and increase the risk of ingesting toxins from high fish consumption.<ref>Tarantino, G; Citro, V; Finelli, C (2015). "Hype or reality: should patients with metabolic syndrome-related NAFLD be on the Hunter-Gatherer (Paleo) diet to decrease morbidity?". Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases. 24 (3): 359–68.</ref><ref>Pitt, Christopher E (January–February 2016). "Cutting through the Paleo hype: The evidence for the Palaeolithic diet". The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 45 (1–2): 35–38.</ref><ref>[https://www.bda.uk.com/news/view?id=39 Top 5 Worst Celebrity Diets to Avoid in 2015]</ref>

===Criticism of chemotherapy===

* In 2014, Sboros applauded 11-year-old Makayla Sault's parents for refusing [[chemotherapy]], claiming that "one of those side effects [of chemotherapy] is premature death".<ref>[https://www.biznews.com/health/2014/11/16/canada-court-rejects-doctors-bid-force-native-girl-chemotherapy Canada court rejects doctors’ bid to force child to have chemotherapy]. Marika Sboros.</ref> She added that, "The parents want their daughter to be treated according to their centuries-old traditional healing. They have every right to choose a gentler path that has stood the test of time to try to save their child from cancer. Luckily for them, the judge in this case the judge [sic] agrees." Makayla Sault [[Death|died]]<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/makayla-sault-girl-who-refused-chemo-for-leukemia-dies-1.2829885 Makayla Sault, girl who refused chemo for leukemia, dies]</ref> in January 2015. Doctors had given her a 75 per cent chance of surviving her acute lymphoblastic leukemia using chemotherapy. Sboros has since deleted the post from her blog without acknowledgement. 

*Sboros posted on [[Twitter]] that "chemotherapy doesn't work",<ref>[https://twitter.com/marikasboros/status/981842969719443456 Marika Sboros on Twitter]{{dead}}</ref> based on the research of a [[naturopath]] [[quack]] Peter Glidden.<ref>[https://archive.is/Ub5ll Dr. Peter Glidden ND on Twitter: &quot;Chemotherapy doesn’t work. ...&quot;]</ref> In response, surgical [[oncologist]] [[David Gorski]] refuted the false claims of Glidden on Twitter.<ref>[https://archive.is/JILmo David Gorski, MD, PhD on Twitter]</ref> In other tweets, Sboros mentioned the ketogenic diet as a possible [[cancer]] cure. Paediatrician Alastair McAlpine noticed these tweets and briefly mentioned Sboros in an article that refuted the claims of [[cranks]] promoting the ketogenic diet as a cancer cure. He commented that "South Africa's own Marika Sboros advised her 10,000 twitter followers to consider 'deferring' chemotherapy and try the ketogenic diet instead."<ref>[https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/ketogenic-diet-no-cure-cancer-despite-cranks-say/ The ketogenic diet is no cure for cancer, despite what the cranks say]</ref> Sboros took offense to this and responded that it was [[fake news]] and she had never "advised and do[es] not advise patients to consider delaying chemo or radiation in favour of a ketogenic diet."<ref name="MedicalBrief">[https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/lie-promote-deferring-chemo-radiation/ 'It's a lie that I promote deferring chemo or radiation']</ref> However, this is contradicted by many tweets she made on the subject. McAlpine logged many of these tweets and is it clear she tweeted that her followers should consider postponing chemotherapy for the ketogenic diet.<ref name="MedicalBrief"/>

==Publications==
*''Lore of Nutrition: Challenging Conventional Dietary Beliefs'' (co-author with Tim Noakes, 2018).  Alastair McAlpine has written an in-depth review of the book, he noted that the "conspiracy theories run thick and fast, the victim card is played extensively, the science is cherry-picked and unrepresentative, and the conclusions questionable. On top of this, a malicious streak runs through ''Lore of Nutrition'': anyone not directly supportive of Noakes is a shill, an apologist for Big Food/Big Pharma, or an idiot."<ref name="McAlpine"/>

==See also==

*[[Zoë Harcombe]]
*[[Gary Taubes]]

==External links==
*[https://foodmed.net/ FoodMed.net]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sboros, Marika}}

[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Cholesterol and statin denialists]]
[[Category:Food woo promoters]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Low-carb fanatics]]

Categories: Anti-vaccination movement, Authors, Cholesterol and statin denialists, Food woo promoters, Living people, Low-carb fanatics