The Happy Pear twins Stephen and David Flynn have apologised for causing upset after they faced backlash online after posting a video suggesting ways to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer through diet.
The video, which has since been deleted from their Instagram account, listed statistics about breast cancer rates in women in the UK and other high income countries, and put forward ways people can reduce their risk of breast cancer.
However, Dr David Robert Grimes criticised the video, telling the Irish Independent that the role diet plays in modifying risk of the disease is "way smaller than most people would think."
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The Wicklow based brothers, who own the Happy Pear café in Greystones, have become household names through their vegetarian cook books and healthy eating courses.
But their latest video triggered a furious response online.
In the clip, a voiceover could be heard saying: "One in seven women in the UK and other high income countries will get a diagnosis of breast cancer in their lifetime, versus one in a hundred in Hong Kong and one in a thousand in China.
"Some of the possible factors are excessive saturated fat intake, excessive dairy intake and excessive animal products intake.
“Here’s five things to reduce your risk; aim for a healthy body weight, eat mostly whole food, plant-based. Aim for eight to 13 fruit and veg portions per day; reduce alcohol consumption, avoid smoking and move regularly; eat mushrooms - reduces your risk of breast cancer, eat soy products two to three times per day.”
Dr Grimes urged the public not to take their health advice from social media.
He said: "Diet is not a panacea. Eating well is important for living but it’s not the be all and end all of cancer and actually its role in modifiable risk is way smaller than most people would think."
The video was removed from The Happy Pear’s Instagram account on Saturday.
The two appeared on their Instagram stories to apologise for posting the video. They said: "We posted a video recently about breast cancer and a number of people are upset so we just wanted say to that was never our intention and we're really sorry for upsetting anyone.
"It was a snippet from a podcast recorded with a doctor of women's health."
Dublin Live has contacted the Happy Pear for comment.
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