Actively committed to the fight against overweight

An early calling

At 23, Pierre Dukan became one of France’s youngest general physicians. Early in his career, an obese patient sought help to lose weight without cutting meat from his diet. Dr. Dukan rose to the challenge and the patient lost 10 lbs in five days. The basis of the acclaimed diet to come was born.

“From very early on I dreamed of becoming a doctor, and was granted that wish. In the world of today my dream is a daring one: to be the creator of a method capable of dealing the first definitive blow to increasing levels of overweight around the world – identified by the WHO as the fifth biggest public health crisis”.

Over the next 25 years, Pierre Dukan provided nutritional guidance to patients while developing his method, phase by phase. He was the first to identify the notion of stabilisation, selecting every food that would form the basis of the method.

One book, one method

Pierre Dukan is also a regular consultant for health magazines, radio and television as a nutritional expert. He began to write and published his first book, “Dealing with Cellulite”, in 1970 at the tender age of 29, followed by “Weight loss: the ultimate weapon” in 1979 and the famous “Love your Curves” in 1981 (published in English in 2012).

The Dukan Method: an international phenomenon

In 2000, Pierre Dukan unveiled his revolutionary weight loss method in “The Dukan Diet“ (‘Je ne sais pas maigrir’). The first edition was a critical success and the method spread by word of mouth. Hundreds of blogs on the Dukan Diet appeared. Dukan Diet mania was amplified by the Internet and Dr Dukan’s appearances on TV. The Dukan Diet has since become the most popular weight loss method in France and is acclaimed worldwide. Pierre Dukan is a recognised figure in the fight against obesity in Spain, the UK, Italy, Germany, Poland, China, the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and elsewhere.

Pierre Dukan is one of the most-read authors in France and abroad. He is the author of 19 books, translated into 25 languages with over 11 million copies sold.

After 40 years helping over 40,000 patients, Pierre Dukan now devotes his time entirely to the fight against obesity around the world by further developing and promoting the method.

Inevitably, success has brought controversy. Dr Dukan’s method is new in a nutritional sector that for over 50 years has recommended low-calorie, reduced-intake diets despite a continued increase in obesity. Pierre Dukan is willing to take the attacks: improving society sometimes requires shaking it up.

Key dates and bibliography:

1941: Pierre Dukan is born in Algiers
1964: Graduate of Hôpital Bichat, Paris
1970: Publishes first book “Dealing with Cellulite” (in French)
1979: Publishes “Weight loss: the ultimate weapon” (in French)
1981: Publishes “Love Your Curves” (English version in 2012)
2000: Publishes “The Dukan Diet”
2002: Weight loss and Nutrition from A to Z (in French)
2008: Launches weight loss coaching web site
2009: Publishes “The Dukan Diet: an illustrated guide”