Pierre Dukan is a French medical doctor and nutritionist, and the creator of the famous Dukan Diet.
In 1975, Pierre Dukan was a general practitioner in Paris when he was first confronted with a case of obesity. At the time, being overweight or obese was thought to be best treated by low calorie and small sized meals. Dukan thought of an alternative way to prevent patients from regaining their lost weight after dieting. He designed a new approach in four phases, including stabilisation and consolidation. After 20 odd years of research Pierre Dukan published his findings in 2000 in his book Je ne sais pas maigrir (I don't know how to get slimmer) which became a bestseller in France.
The book became a bestseller in the UK after Carole Middleton introduced her daughter Catherine, now The Duchess of Cambridge, to the diet before her wedding to Prince William. Catherine lost two dress sizes.[1]
In July 2011 a French court ruled against Dukan in his attempt to sue rival nutritionist Jean-Michel Cohen for libel, after Cohen had criticised Dukan's method in the press.[2]