Goop article telling readers to achieve ‘leanest liveable weight’ condemned as ‘irresponsible’

'This is a dangerous suggestion'

(Rex Features/Getty Images)

A geneticist and obesity expert at the University of Cambridge has criticised Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand, Goop, over an article on its website that advises readers to strive towards their “leanest liveable weight”.

Goop’s “Busting Diet Myths” section features an interview with Traci Mann, a professor of social and health psychology at the University of Minnesota, in which Mann touts the benefits of aiming towards the lowest end of your “set range”.

According to Mann, a person’s “set range” is “a genetically determined range of weight that your body generally keeps you in, despite your efforts to escape it”.

“If your weight is below that range, biological changes due to calorie deprivation happen, and generally push you back into your set range. However, if you stay within your set range - at the lower end of it - you should be able to maintain that weight without your body making those negative changes.”

But Dr Giles Yeo, who presents BBC’s Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, explains that Mann’s advice is irresponsible because it could be interpreted as suggesting people become as “skinny as possible”.

“This is a dangerous suggestion, as many people will take it to mean they should be as thin as possible,” Yeo told a live audience at an event hosted by New Scientist magazine on Monday.

“It is irresponsible because the idea is so open to misinterpretation, especially for young girls susceptible to eating disorders. The problem with many of Goop’s recommendations is that they are not based on science, but pseudo-science.”

Yeo went on to describe Mann’s concept of calculating your “leanest liveable weight” as “silly” because there is no scientific formula way to determine such a figure, something Mann acknowledges in the interview.

“It is therefore nigh-on impossible to find a target to stick to," Yeo continued. "People should not be afraid of food, and ‘diet’ should not have become such a loaded term. Goop is part of the reason that people have become afraid of eating. We need to love our food, just eat less of it.”

In response to Yeo's comments, Mann told The Daily Mail she is "strongly and clearly opposed to strict dieting".

“In fact, the article is specifically about not dieting, not trying to lose too much weight and not doing anything unhealthy or extreme," Mann added.

“The phrase ‘leanest liveable weight’ refers to the leanest weight you can be without doing any strict dieting or unhealthy behaviour.”

Goop has previously been criticised for promoting health treatments on its site without scientific evidence. In September last year, the company agreed to pay a settlement of $145,000 (£112,514) after making unscientific claims about the health benefits of vaginal eggs.

The Independent has contacted Goop and Mann for comment.