A doctor who advocates an austere "be hungry" diet defended a mother charged with murder after her teenage daughter died weighing only 40 pounds, claiming the cause of death may have been contaminated water and not the diet.
Ebony Berry is charged with child cruelty and murder in the June 15 death of her daughter, Markea Berry, 16, who officials say starved to death.
Dr. Andrew Chung, who calls Ebony Berry a "friend through Facebook" and a "sister in Christ," suggested the jailed woman's daughter "picked up something from the water when she was missing [in 2010]," which could have contributed to her weight loss.
Markea Berry wandered away from home in 2010 when she was 14. She was found safe at a Walmart the next day. Her mother told the Atlanta Journal Constitution at the time her daughter had special needs.
Chung visited Berry at a Cobb County, Ga., jail on June 22, a jail official confirmed to ABCNews.com.
"She is a friend through Facebook. I really didn't want to see her, but she is a sister in Christ," Chung said. "It was right for me to visit her."
The Emory University-educated cardiologist, who preaches people be "wonderfully hungry" and eat no more than two pounds of food per day, said he met Berry at a health fair in 2008. He said she showed an interest in his teachings.
Berry, who lives in the same area as Chung, had reportedly been a follower of the doctor's "Be Hungry" teachings, which he says are healthy for the heart and help combat obesity.
"Guard the body by holding the right amount of food," he said, summing up his belief, which he says is rooted in science. "Everyone goes around talking as it's starvation but medically it's not. Starvation is terrible."
Chung declined to further discuss Berry's case, saying he didn't want to speak for her.
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Diet Doctor Defends Mom of Teen Who Died Weighing 40 Pounds
