Patrick Holford

Patrick Holford is a controversial British nutritionist, author, and the founder and director of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London. He is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder (with Professor André Tylee of the Institute of Psychiatry) of the special interest group that developed into Food for the Brain Foundation, a registered charity which has the stated aim of promoting mental health through nutrition [ [http://www.patrickholford.com/content.asp?id_Content=1279] [http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/departments/?locator=367] [http://www.foodforthebrain.org/content.asp?id_Content=1630] ] . He is also director of the Brain Bio Centre, which specializes in a nutrition-based approach to mental health problems. He appears regularly on television and radio in the UK.

Holford has written over thirty-five books, which have been translated into 17 languages. His fourth book, "The Optimum Nutrition Bible", has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide.

Career

Holford obtained a B.Sc. in experimental psychology from the University of York in 1976.Holford, Patrick. " [http://www.patrickholford.com/content.asp?id_Content=1279 Patrick Holford: Profile] ". patrickholford.com. Accessed 6 January 2007.] As a psychology student, he became interested in the biochemistry of mental health problems. His research brought him in contact with Dr Carl Pfeiffer and Dr Abram Hoffer, both of whom claimed success in treating mental illness with nutritional therapy. However, he did not graduate from the University of York until 1979, leading critics such as HolfordWatch to challenge the veracity of his CV.

In 1984, Holford founded the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION). At that institute, he has worked on nutritional approaches to clinical depression, schizophrenia, and eating disorders. His research into the role that nutrition plays in children's IQ levels was the subject of a "Horizon" documentary in 1987. In 1995, the Board of Trustees of ION (of which he was a director) awarded him an Honorary Diploma in Nutritional Therapy.

Holford is a Fellow of the British Association for Nutritional Therapy (BANT), one of a number of professional bodies that seek to represent nutritional therapists in the UK.The British Association of Nutrition Therapy, “ [http://www.bant.org.uk/bant/jsp/aboutBant.faces About BANT] ”. Accessed 7 January 2007]

Criticism

HIV

Holford's claim in "The New Optimum Nutrition Bible" that "AZT, the first prescribable anti-HIV drug, is potentially harmful, and proving less effective than vitamin C" [Holford, Patrick. "The New Optimum Nutrition Bible", [http://www.patrickholford.com/biblestatementonhiv Chapter 24] . Accessed 19 March 2007.] has been criticised by Ben Goldacre.Goldacre, Ben. “ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,1383671,00.html Vitamin deficiency] ”. "The Guardian", 6 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.] Goldacre writes that Holford based this conclusion on a non-clinical study where "you tip lots of vitamin C onto HIV-infected cells and measure a few things related to HIV replication".Goldacre, Ben. “ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,,1393725,00.html Working papers] ”. "The Guardian", 20 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.] Goldacre notes that the paper does not compare vitamin C to AZT for efficacy. He argues that "Holford was guilty of at least incompetence in claiming that this study demonstrated vitamin C to be a better treatment than AZT." Prof David Colquhoun argues that Holford's "advocacy of vitamin C as better than conventional drugs to treat Aids is truly scary". [http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/15/endarkenment]

Holford repliedHolford, Patrick. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,2014245,00.html Letter to "The Guardian"] , 16 February 2007. Accessed 19 March 2007.] to "The Guardian" newspaper that:

"As [Goldacre] well knows, the author of the research — Dr Raxit Jariwalla — wrote to the "Guardian" (January 20 2005) [Jariwalla, Raxit. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/opinion/story/0,,1393732,00.html Letter to "The Guardian"] , 20 January 2005. Accessed 19 March 2007.] the last time Goldacre made this claim, to confirm that my statement is correct on the basis of two [non-clinical] studies on HIV-infected cells. The real crime here is that no full-scale human trials have been funded on vitamin C to follow up Jariwalla's important finding because it is non-patentable and hence not profitable. Goldacre seems unconcerned about the way commercial interests distort scientific research."

Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital, reported that - due to following Holford's advice to adopt a restricted diet - a young autistic girl participating in one of Holford's experiments suffered dramatic weight loss and sleep problems [Goodchild, Sophie and Owen, Jonathan. “ [http://www.raidersnewsnetwork.com/full.php?news=1772 Doctors warn against food fad dangers] ”. "The Independent on Sunday", 7 January 2007. Accessed 18 January 2007.] . Holford has argued that the allegations result from “professional jealousy”, stating that " [t] his girl hasn't suffered. She's got better and is behaving better. Her parents are delighted with the results. It's only Catherine Collins who is not." The Independent on Sunday have since clarified this story, noting that - when placed on a less restrictive diet - the girl was able to regain the weight she lost [ [http://news.independent.co.uk/corrections/article2372228.ece Doctors warn against food fad dangers - a clarification] ] .

There has also been an adjudication by the Advertising Standards Authority against Patrick Holford's 100% Health leaflet. "On this point, the ad breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation), 7.1 (Truthfulness), 50.1 (Health & beauty products and therapies - General) and 50.20 (Health & beauty products and therapies - Vitamins, minerals and other food supplements)." [ [http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_43199.htm ASA 2007 Judgement] ] A previous adjudication by the ASA also went against Mr Holford. [ [http://www.cap.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=35650 ASA 2003 Judgement] ]

Autism

Holford has also claimed that "We’ve learned about what it is that makes some kids develop autism and also how to bring them back." This directly contradicts organisations devoted to autism such as the Autism Society of America which says: "There is no known single cause for autism...Researchers are investigating a number of theories, including the link between heredity, genetics and medical problems." and the National Autistic Society which states: "There is currently no known 'cure' for autism."

Holford is also one of the main supporters of the hypothesis that there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. This is against the overwhelming opposition to the hypothesis by the scientific community. The Wakefield "et al." paper upon which this hypothesis was based has been discredited by the scientific community and 10 of the 12 co-authors have formally retracted the paper. Furthermore, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the UK National Health Service and the Cochrane Library review have all concluded that there is no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. (See MMR vaccine controversy)

Books

* "The Family Nutrition Workbook" (1988)
* "The Whole Health Manual: Comprehensive Guide to Nutrition and Better Health" (1988)
* "The Better Pregnancy Diet: The Definitive Guide to Having a Healthy Baby" (1993)
* "The Optimum Nutrition Bible" (1997)
* "Say No to Heart Disease" (1998)
* "Boost Your Immune System" (1998)
* "Balancing Hormones Naturally" (1998)
* "30-Day Fatburner Diet" (1999)
* "100% Health" (1999)
* "Beat Stress and Fatigue" (1999)
* "Say No to Cancer" (1999)
* "The Optimum Nutrition Cookbook" (1999)
* "Improve Your Digestion" (2000)
* "Say No to Arthritis" (2000)
* "Supplements for Superhealth" (2000)
* "Solve Your Skin Problems" (2001)
* "Six Weeks to Superhealth" (2002)
* "Optimum Nutrition for the Mind" (2002)
* "Natural Highs: Chill - 25 Ways to Stay Relaxed and Beat Stress" (2003)
* "Natural Highs: Energy - 25 Ways to Increase Your Energy " (2003)
* "The H Factor - Homocysteine - the biggest breakthrough of the century" (2003)
* "Boost Your Child's Immune System" (2003)
* "500 Health and Nutrition Questions Answered" (2004)
* "New Optimum Nutrition Bible" (2004)
* "Optimum Nutrition Before, During and After Pregnancy (2004)
* "The Alzheimer's Prevention Plan" (2005)
* "The Holford Low-GL Diet" (2005)
* "The Holford Low-GL Diet Cookbook" (2005)
* "Hidden Food Allergies (2005)
* "The Holford Diet GL Counter" (2006)
* "The Holford Low-GL Diet Made Easy" (2006)
* "Optimum Nutrition For Your Child's Mind (2006)
* "Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs" (2006)
* "Smart Food for Smart Kids" (2007)
* "New Optimum Nutrition for the Mind" (2007)
* "The Holford 9-Day Liver Detox" (2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.patrickholford.com/ Patrick Holford's Website]
* [http://www.foodforthebrain.org Food for the Brain]
* [http://www.brainbiocentre.com The Brain Bio Centre]
* [http://www.badscience.net/?cat=70 Ben Goldacre's blog posts on Patrick Holford]
* [http://www.holfordwatch.info HolfordWatch, a critical blog]
* [http://www.holfordmyths.com HolfordMyths, an offshoot of Holford's main site providing answers to some of his criticisms]