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{{short description|British author and entrepreneur}}
{{cleanup|January 2007}}'''Patrick Holford''' is a controversial ] ], author, and the founder and director of the ] in ]. Holford is also the director of the ], a registered charity that claims to help children with special needs through improved nutrition, and the Brain Bio Centre, an outpatient clinical treatment clinic for those with mental health issues wishing to pursue a nutrition-based approach. He appears regularly on television and radio in the UK.
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{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
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'''Patrick Holford''' is a British author and entrepreneur who endorses a range of ]s. As an advocate of alternative nutrition and diet methods, he appears regularly on television and radio in the UK and abroad. He has 36 books in print in 29 languages. His business career promotes a wide variety of alternative medical approaches such as ], many of which are considered ] by mainstream science and medicine.


Holford's claims about HIV and ] are not in line with modern medical thought and have been criticised for putting people in danger and damaging public health.
His nutrition advice and his lack of formal qualifications have been criticised by professional ]s.


In 2006 Holford was discovered to be using his PR adviser to delete critical content from his Misplaced Pages page.
==Career==
Holford obtained a BSc in ] from the ] in 1976.<ref name="profile">Patrick Holford, ''''. patrickholford.com. Accessed 6 January 2007.</ref> 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 ], both of whom claimed success in treating ] with nutritional therapy.


== Career ==
In ], Holford founded the Institute of Optimum Nutrition (ION). At that institute, he has worked on nutritional approaches to ], ], and ]s. His research into the role that nutrition plays in children's ] levels was the subject of a '']'' documentary in ]. In 1995, the ION, of which he was a director, awarded him an honorary Diploma in Nutritional Therapy.<ref name="profile"/>
Holford obtained a BSc in ] from the ] in 1979.<ref name="profile">Holford, Patrick. '''' howtoquit.co.uk. Accessed 29 May 2009.</ref><ref name=doctored-information>, ], ], 6 January 2007, retrieved 25 May 2010</ref> As a psychology student he became interested in the biochemistry of mental health problems. His research brought him in contact with ] and ], both of whom claimed success in treating ] with nutritional therapy.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}


In 1984 Holford founded the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ion.ac.uk// |title=Institute of Optimum Nutrition |publisher=Ion.ac.uk |access-date=14 May 2013}}</ref> At that institute he has worked on nutritional approaches to clinical depression, ], ] and ]s.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} In 1995 the Board of Trustees of ION (of which he was a director) awarded him an Honorary Diploma in Nutritional Therapy.<ref name="profile"/>
Holford has written more than twenty books, the first of which was ''The Optimum Nutrition Bible'', which has sold over a million copies worldwide. His books have been translated into seventeen languages.


He retired as Director of ION in 1998 and was awarded ION's Award for Excellence in 2009.
==Criticism==
Holford's qualifications and expertise have been questioned.<ref>Rachel Shabi, “”. ''The Guardian'', 8 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.</ref> His only formal qualification in Nutrition is an honorary Diploma from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (which he founded, and of which he was Director at the time of this award). Holford is a Fellow of the British Association of Nutrition Therapy (BANT), which claims to regulate ];<ref name="bantref">The British Association of Nutrition Therapy, “”. Accessed 7 January 2007</ref> however, this is not a statutory body since the field is not regulated, and there are a number of bodies which claim to regulate such therapists.


He was the chief executive officer and cofounder (with Professor ] of the ]) of the special interest group that developed into ], a registered charity that has the stated aim of promoting mental health through nutrition.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125015153/http://www.patrickholford.com/index.php/about/aboutpatrick/ |date=25 November 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/departments/?locator=367 |title=IoP: Primary Care Mental Health |publisher=Iop.kcl.ac.uk |access-date=5 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=STEEL, www.steel-london.co.uk |url=http://www.foodforthebrain.org/content.asp?id_Content=1630 |title=Our mission |publisher=Food for the Brain |access-date=5 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124035304/http://www.foodforthebrain.org/content.asp?id_Content=1630 |archive-date=24 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was also director of the Brain Bio Centre, which specialises in a nutrition-based approach to ] problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foodforthebrain.org/content.asp?id_Content=1721 |title=Brain Bio Centre |publisher=Foodforthebrain.org |access-date=14 May 2013}}</ref>
His claims about nutrition have also been questioned. For example, ] has criticised Holford's claim, in ''The New Optimum Nutrition Bible'', that "], the first prescribable anti-HIV drug, is potentially harmful, and proving less effective than ]".<ref name="vitamin">Ben Goldacre, “”. ''The Guardian'', 6 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.</ref> Goldacre points out 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".<ref name="working papers">Ben Goldacre, “”. ''The Guardian'', 20 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.</ref> Goldacre notes that the paper does not compare vitamin C to AZT for efficacy: in fact, it "doesn't even contain the word AZT".<ref name="vitamin"/> 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."<ref name="working papers"/>


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.<ref name="bantref">The British Association of Nutrition Therapy, "". Retrieved 7 January 2007.</ref> He is registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council. He is also the Patron of the South African Association of Nutritional Therapy and the Irish Association of Nutritional Therapy.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507222038/http://www.saant.org.za/files/about-saant/council/council.html |date=7 May 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iant.ie/ |title=Irish Association of Nutritional Therapists |publisher=Iant.ie |date=24 January 2012 |access-date=14 May 2013}}</ref>
Catherine Collins, chief ] at ], London, has called on BANT to investigate Holford over advice he gave to a young ] girl. Collins alleges that the girl suffered sleep problems and lost weight as a result of Holford's advice. Holford has dismissed the allegations as the product of “professional jealousy”. He claims that "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."<ref>Sophie Goodchild and Jonathan Owen, “”. ''The Independent on Sunday'', 7 January 2007. Accessed 18 January 2007.</ref>


Between 2007 and 2008 Holford was a visiting professor at ] and in 2007 was appointed as Head of Science and Education at Biocare, a nutritional supplement company.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}
In January 2007, a '']'' article written by Goldacre detailed how Fuel PR, a public relations firm working for Holford, had anonymously removed all criticism from his ] article.<ref name="guardian">Ben Goldacre, "". ''The Guardian'', 6 January 2007. Accessed 6 January 2007.</ref> Holford says this was not his intention: he had intended for the PR firm to add a defence to the criticisms.<ref name="guardian"/> The user account was banned indefinitely from Misplaced Pages.<ref>Ben Goldacre, "". badscience.net, 7 January 2007. Accessed 7 January 2007.</ref>


Holford has 36 books in print in 29 languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patrickholford.com/index.php/general/foreigneditions/ |title=Patrick Holford Foreign Editions |publisher=Patrickholford.com |access-date=14 May 2013}}</ref>
==Response from Patrick Holford==
===ANSWERING THE NUTRITION CRITICS===


== Criticism ==
'''When you tread a path that's not yet mainstream, people will often criticise you for it. This year has kicked off with a flurry of attacks on 'media nutritionists', vitamin C and HIV, food intolerance testing, supplements for children, and also the Food for the Brain schools campaign. We must be ruffling some conservative feathers to attract so much attention! For those of us who are committed to pursuing better health naturally and harmlessly, sometimes it's necessary to answer our critics and correct the misinformation they quote.'''
Holford has been the subject of criticism for his promotion of medically dubious techniques and products including ], his support of the now struck-off doctor ] and advocating the use of "non-drug alternatives for mental health", for which he has been given an award by the ]-backed ].<ref name="counterknowledge">{{Cite book |publisher = Norton |location = New York |title = Counterknowledge |author = Damian Thompson |date = 2008 |oclc = 227016172 |isbn = 9780393067699 |ol = 16872029M }}</ref>


In 2006 Patrick Holford was discovered to be using his PR adviser to delete content on his Misplaced Pages page that was critical of him.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/jan/06/badscience.wikipedia | title=Doctored information on celebrity nutritionist| newspaper=The Guardian| date=2007-01-06| last1=Goldacre| first1=Ben | author-link=Ben Goldacre}}</ref>
As a result, I'd like to share my responses to several recent assaults in the press. I appreciate there's a lot of information to wade through here, but as these different cases have a similar theme, I thought I'd deal with them all together. So let's start with my response to material written by a journalist called Dr Ben Goldacre.


=== HIV ===
Today, the Guardian published my reply to Goldacre's claims:
Holford's claim in ''The New Optimum Nutrition Bible'' that "], the first prescribable anti-HIV drug, is potentially harmful, and proving less effective than ]"<ref>Holford, Patrick. ''The New Optimum Nutrition Bible'', . Retrieved 19 March 2007.</ref> has been criticised by ].<ref name="vitamin">Goldacre, Ben. "". ''The Guardian'', 6 January 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2007.</ref> 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".<ref name="working papers">Goldacre, Ben. "". ''The Guardian'', 20 January 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2007.</ref> Goldacre notes that the paper does not compare vitamin C to AZT for efficacy.<ref name="vitamin"/> 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."<ref name="working papers"/> Prof ] argues that Holford's "advocacy of vitamin C as better than conventional drugs to treat Aids is truly scary".<ref name="Colquhoun">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/aug/15/endarkenment |title=The age of endarkenment &#124; Science &#124; guardian.co.uk |newspaper=Guardian |date= 15 August 2007|access-date=30 May 2009 | location=London | first=David | last=Colquhoun}}</ref>


''"In Goldacre's column on 6 January 2007, he once again accuses me of 'bad science' in reference to a statement in one of my books that 'AZT is potentially harmful and proving less effective than vitamin C'. As he well knows, the author of the research - Dr Raxit Jariwalla - wrote to the Guardian (20/1/05) the last time Goldacre made this claim to confirm that my statement is correct on the basis of two 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."'' Holford replied<ref name=HolfordGuardianreply>Holford, Patrick. , 16 February 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2007.</ref> to '']'' newspaper that: <blockquote>"As well knows, the author of the research – Dr Raxit Jariwalla – wrote to the ''Guardian'' (January 20, 2005)<ref>Jariwalla, Raxit. , 20 January 2005. Retrieved 19 March 2007.</ref> the last time Goldacre made this claim, to confirm that my statement is correct on the basis of two 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."</blockquote>


Goldacre replied that Raxit Jariwalla was a senior researcher at the Rath Research Institute in California – connected to vitamin salesman ].<ref>, ], ], 17 February 2007, retrieved 25 May 2010</ref> Matthias Rath has been linked to the previous policy of the South African government to deny anti-viral drugs to HIV positive patients.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.badscience.net/2009/04/matthias-rath-steal-this-chapter/ | title=Matthias Rath – steal this chapter – Bad Science}}</ref>
To read my full reply - and to find out what Dr Raxit Jariwalla, the leading immunologist on vitamin C and HIV, has to say -


=== Autism ===
'''Tirade against 'media nutritionists''''
Holford believes that there is a potential link in some susceptible children between the ] and the development of autism-like symptoms.<ref></ref> This is against the overwhelming <ref>{{cite journal |journal=Paediatr Child Health |year=2007 |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=393–5 |title=Autistic spectrum disorder: No causal relationship with vaccines |author=Infectious Diseases and Immunization Committee, Canadian Paediatric Society |url=http://cps.ca/english/statements/ID/pidnote_jun07.htm |access-date=2008-10-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202050830/http://www.cps.ca/english/statements/ID/PIDnote_Jun07.htm |archive-date=2 December 2008 |df=dmy-all |pmid=19030398 |pmc=2528717 }} Also published in {{cite journal | pmid = 18923720 | volume=18 | title=Autistic spectrum disorder: No causal relationship with vaccines | pmc=2533550 | year=2007 | journal=Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol | issue=3 | pages=177–9 | doi=10.1155/2007/267957 | doi-access=free }}.</ref><ref name=CDC-MMR-autism>{{cite web |url=http://cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/mmr_autism_factsheet.htm |title= Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine |date=22 August 2008 |access-date=2008-12-21 |publisher= Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080407015528/http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/mmr_autism_factsheet.htm |archive-date = 7 April 2008}}</ref><ref name=IOM>{{cite book|last=Institute of Medicine (US) Immunization Safety Review Committee|date=17 May 2004|pmid=20669467|url=http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2004/Immunization-Safety-Review-Vaccines-and-Autism.aspx|title=Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism|publisher=] of the ]|access-date=13 June 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026043205/http://www.iom.edu/reports/2004/immunization-safety-review-vaccines-and-autism.aspx|archive-date=26 October 2009|df=dmy-all|doi=10.17226/10997|isbn=978-0-309-09237-1}}</ref><ref name=MMRthefacts>{{cite web |url=http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4002972 |access-date=2007-09-19 |year=2004 |title= MMR The facts |publisher= ] Immunisation Information|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4002972|archive-date=7 January 2013}}</ref> ] of the scientific community and many high-quality empirical studies ]. The Wakefield ''et al.'' paper upon which this hypothesis was based has been discredited by the scientific community and was retracted from the journal, and 10 of the 12 co-authors have formally disavowed the paper's conclusions. Furthermore, ], the Institute of Medicine of the ], the UK ] and the ] have all concluded that there is no evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. (See ])


The Cochrane Library's systematic review also concluded that "The design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR vaccine studies, both pre- and post- marketing, are largely inadequate...." Nonetheless, it noted that the vaccine has prevented diseases that still carry a heavy burden of death and complications, and that the lack of confidence in the vaccine has damaged public health.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Di Pietrantonj|first1=Carlo|last2=Rivetti|first2=Alessandro|last3=Marchione|first3=Pasquale|last4=Debalini|first4=Maria Grazia|last5=Demicheli|first5=Vittorio|date=20 April 2020|title=Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children|journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews|volume=4|issue=4 |pages=CD004407|doi=10.1002/14651858.CD004407.pub4|issn=1469-493X|pmc=7169657|pmid=32309885}}</ref>
Last week, Goldacre continued his tirade against 'media nutritionists' in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), scoffing at the all these makeover programmes, claiming false information is being dispensed.


Catherine Collins, chief ] at ], reported that after following Holford's advice to adopt a restricted diet a young ] girl participating in one of Holford's experiments suffered dramatic weight loss and sleep problems. Holford dismissed the allegations as "professional jealousy", stating that "This 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."<ref>Goodchild, Sophie and Owen, Jonathan. "Doctors warn against food fad dangers". ''The Independent on Sunday'', 7 January 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2007.</ref> Holford claimed that the girl was already a poor sleeper and that when placed on a less restrictive diet she was able to regain the weight she had lost.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/corrections/doctors-warn-against-food-fad-dangers--a-clarification-440939.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/corrections/doctors-warn-against-food-fad-dangers--a-clarification-440939.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Doctors warn against food fad dangers – a clarification |publisher=News.independent.co.uk |date=18 March 2007 |author=Patrick Holford |access-date=30 May 2009 | location=London}}</ref>
'''Here are some extracts from my reply in the BMJ:'''


==Advertising==
''"The estimated cost of diet-related diseases to the NHS is in excess of £15 billion, according to the Royal Society.<ref>S. Fairweather-Tate, 'Human nutrition and food research: opportunities and challenges in the post-genomic era', Royal Society, 9 September 2003, published on-line.</ref> Obesity has become the second most common cause of premature death, with smoking being the first. Type 2 diabetes, a preventable and largely reversible diet-related disease, is predicted to affect approximately one in twenty <ref>YHPHO, 'PBS Diabetes Population Prevalence Model - Phase 2 June 2005, available on line at .</ref>, and possibly one in six people over age 40 by 2010. Prostate cancer, according to the East Anglia Cancer Surveillance Unit at Cambridge University <ref>East Anglia Cancer Surveillance Unit, Cambridge University.</ref>, is predicted to effect 23% of men by 2015 - representing an 83% increase in thirty years - strongly linked in epidemiological studies to high dairy consumption <ref>D Ganmaa et al, 'Incidence and mortality of testicular and prostatic cancers in relation to world dietary practices', International Journal of Cancer, 2002, 98 (2): pp 262-267.</ref>. Clearly, many people in Britain continue to dig their own graves with a knife and fork. The fundamental political issue is how to radically and swiftly change the diet culture in Britain.''
There has also been an adjudication by the ] 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 ]s)."
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_43199.htm |title=ASA 2007 Judgement |publisher=Asa.org.uk |date=19 September 2007 |access-date=30 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401152328/http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_43199.htm |archive-date=1 April 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
A previous adjudication by the ASA also went against Mr Holford.
.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cap.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=35650 |title=ASA 2003 Judgement |publisher=Cap.org.uk |date=26 March 2003 |access-date=30 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516042348/http://www.cap.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=35650 |archive-date=16 May 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Mr Holford has also been the subject of at least two adverse rulings by the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa.<ref>http://www.quackdown.info/article/tag/Holford/></ref>


== Books ==
''There is reason to believe that the media will play a major role in encouraging such a culture shift, and that health messages need to be entertaining to achieve impact. Media nutritionists who demonstrate that transformation, weight loss and disease reversal is possible by diet and lifestyle modification should be actively encouraged, not attacked, as Ben Goldacre, a doctor with no apparent speciality in nutrition or research expertise, has done in his article 'Tell us the truth about nutritionists'.''
{{collist|
* ''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'' (updated 2012)
* ''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'' (2007)
* ''Optimum Nutrition Made Easy: How to Achieve Optimum Health'' (2008)
* ''Optimum Nutrition For Your Child'' (2008)
* ''How to Quit without Feeling S**t: The Fast, Highly Effective Way to End Addiction to Caffeine, Sugar, Cigarettes, Alcohol, Illicit or Prescription Drugs'' (2008)
* ''Food Glorious Food: Incredibly Delicious Low-GL Recipes for Friends and Family'' (2008)
* ''The Low-GL Diet Bible by Patrick Holford'' (2009)
* ''The 10 Secrets of 100% Healthy People'' (2009)
* ''The Perfect Pregnancy Cookbook'' (2010){{update after|2010|12|31}}
* ''100% Health Survey'' (2010)
* ''The Optimum Nutrition Cookbook'' (2010)
* ''The Feel Good Factor'' (2010)
* ''Say no to Diabetes'' (2011)
* ''10 Secrets of Healthy Ageing'' (2012)
* ''10 Secrets of 100% Health Cookbook'' (2012)
* ''Burn Fat Fast'' (2013)
* ''The Stress Cure'' (2015)
}}


== References ==
''In his article, which contains not one single reference to substantiate his claims, he attacks advice to eat turmeric for cancer protection, including that of the prostate. Some 1834 studies are cited in PubMed on turmeric or curcumin, thought to be the active ingredient in this spice, many of which demonstrate clear anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing properties, 648 of which relate specifically, and consistently, to it's anti-cancer properties."''
{{Reflist|2}}


== Further reading ==
''"Goldacre's plea to know the truth about nutritionists pales into insignificance in relation for our need to know the truth about nutrition and, most imperatively, to channel more public money into researching foods such as turmeric which, unlike patentable drugs, have no significant commercial return, and hence cannot attract commercial private sector funding. In researching nutritional approaches to common diseases in my book 'Food is better Medicines Than Drugs' () I cite several hundred studies, many of which are randomised control trials. Many doctors, such as Goldacre, are simply unaware how much good quality evidence does exist for nutrition approaches and consequently underestimate the power of optimum nutrition in disease prevention and reversal. As George Bernard Shaw aptly said 'Those of you who say it can't be done should not interrupt those of us who are doing it'."''
* ] (2008). '']''. HarperPerennial. {{ISBN|000728487X}}
* ] (2008). '']''. Atlantic Books. {{ISBN|1843546760}}


== External links ==
Patrick Holford - media nutritionist and founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition
*
*


{{Authority control}}
Medical journalist Jerome Burne's letter in the BMJ also made the following points:


{{DEFAULTSORT:Holford, Patrick}}
''"It's striking that in damning the 'media nutritionists' actions, he fails to ask the two most basic questions about any form of treatment - does it work and is it safe? There are certainly hundreds of thousands of people who would tell him that following dietary changes recommended in books or TV programmes has benefited them enormously. Not a randomised trial, of course, but surely worth considering. Furthermore, even their sternest critics have failed to make a serious case that 'media nutritionists' kill or maim people. Unlike prescription drugs which, puzzlingly, are never the target of Goldacres's tirades.''
]

]
''This is especially puzzling because the essence of his assault on all non-drug medicine is that it is unscientific. Look at the charges he levels at media nutritionists - they: 'wear a cloak of scientific authority', 'make up evidence when it is missing', 'cherry pick the literature', 'only quote favourable studies'.''
]

]
''Is he really unable to see that every one of these is regularly done on a far larger scale and with far more damaging effects by the pharmaceutical companies? The concealing of evidence of problems with SSRIs, the marketing and distorting of evidence over Vioxx, the failure to issue warnings over anti-psychotic drugs - to mention just three - not only did harm to innumerable patients but also seriously and deeply tarnished and undermined the meaningful research work of genuine academics."''
]

]
You can read these letters in full by
]

'''Children's health in question'''

Meanwhile, the Food for the Brain schools project has been coming in for some flak too. An article in the Independent on Sunday on 7 January quotes Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital in London, expressing concerns about the health of a particular child involved in the project.

What's strange about this is the child's mother is absolutely delighted with her daughter's transformation and believes she's made considerable progress. However, as Ms Collins is not the girl's dietician and, as far as we know, has never met her, it's no wonder she's not aware of the full story. to read my reply, submitted to the Independent. And to hear me answer Ms Collins's objections to IgG food allergy testing.

The results of this first Food for the Brain school project are impressive with many children with autism, ADHD and even genetic conditions and cerebral palsy showing major improvement. If you'd like to see these results for yourself, go to and look under 'reports'.

Of course, you'd think that everyone would be delighted to hear that children with special educational needs have improved dramatically, but some critics seem more concerned to point out that it wasn't a double-blind placebo controlled trial so you don't know what did what. Was it the diet, the supplements or the exercise?

'''When science isn't science'''

The general thrust of these kind of medical and dietetic critics is that there isn't scientific evidence for, for example, giving vitamins to children. They often imply that the only real science is 'randomised placebo-controlled trials' often called RCTs.

Yet, in the case of multivitamins and children's IQ, there have been 13, of which ten have shown significant improvement. The rebuttal is 'children don't need supplements, they just need better diet'. Unfortunately, there just isn't any RCT evidence that dietary changes alone produce these kind of results. So, if you really wanted to be a stickler for the science, you wouldn't change the diet!

The same point is illustrated by Goldacre's concerns about vitamin C and HIV, or turmeric and cancer. There aren't any RCTs proving their effect. And it's true, there aren't. But all the available evidence (epidemiological - meaning studies of associations; animal studies; cell or 'in vitro' studies) all show good evidence of benefit.

The reason that some spokespeople ignore and want suppression of anything other than RCTs (at least on nutritional issues) may be simply because RCTs cost so much money, and favour pill trials (very hard to do placebo trials on diet or exercise), that almost all are funded by the drug industry, thus perpetuating the unhealthy monopoly within medicine today.

But, of course, even when the RCTs do exist - as for multivitamins and children - somehow the evidence is ignored. The real hypocrisy is that newspapers are full of stories about drugs that can cure diseases 'coming next year', not based on RCTs.

'''In summary.'''

Somebody once told me that 'expecting people to treat you well just because you are a good person is like expecting the bull not to charge just because you are a vegetarian'. I guess Jerome Burne's and my book Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs - not one single fact in which has yet been disputed - is a red rag to the pro-drug bull. Ridicule and attack are to be expected in the dying throes of the old pharmaceutical model of treating disease, as it inevitably makes way for a more holistic approach with optimum nutrition at its core.

==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'' (1998)
*''Say No to Heart Disease'' (1998)
*''30-Day Fatburner Diet'' (1999)
*''100% Health'' (1999)
*''Beat Stress and Fatigue'' (1999)
*''Say No to Cancer'' (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)
*''500 Health and Nutrition Questions Answered'' (2004)
*''The Alzheimer's Prevention Plan'' (2005)
*''The Holford Low-GL Diet'' (2005)
*''The Holford Diet GL Counter'' (forthcoming)
*''Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs'' (2006)

==References==
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==See also==
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*
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* - Criticism of Patrick Holford at http://badscience.net

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Latest revision as of 14:15, 5 August 2024

British author and entrepreneur

Patrick Holford is a British author and entrepreneur who endorses a range of vitamin tablets. As an advocate of alternative nutrition and diet methods, he appears regularly on television and radio in the UK and abroad. He has 36 books in print in 29 languages. His business career promotes a wide variety of alternative medical approaches such as orthomolecular medicine, many of which are considered pseudoscientific by mainstream science and medicine.

Holford's claims about HIV and autism are not in line with modern medical thought and have been criticised for putting people in danger and damaging public health.

In 2006 Holford was discovered to be using his PR adviser to delete critical content from his Misplaced Pages page.

Career

Holford obtained a BSc in experimental psychology from the University of York in 1979. As a psychology student he became interested in the biochemistry of mental health problems. His research brought him in contact with Carl Pfeiffer and Abram Hoffer, both of whom claimed success in treating mental illness with nutritional therapy.

In 1984 Holford founded the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION). At that institute he has worked on nutritional approaches to clinical depression, schizophrenia, ADHD and eating disorders. In 1995 the Board of Trustees of ION (of which he was a director) awarded him an Honorary Diploma in Nutritional Therapy.

He retired as Director of ION in 1998 and was awarded ION's Award for Excellence in 2009.

He was the chief executive officer and cofounder (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 that has the stated aim of promoting mental health through nutrition. He was also director of the Brain Bio Centre, which specialises in a nutrition-based approach to mental health problems.

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. He is registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council. He is also the Patron of the South African Association of Nutritional Therapy and the Irish Association of Nutritional Therapy.

Between 2007 and 2008 Holford was a visiting professor at Teesside University and in 2007 was appointed as Head of Science and Education at Biocare, a nutritional supplement company.

Holford has 36 books in print in 29 languages.

Criticism

Holford has been the subject of criticism for his promotion of medically dubious techniques and products including hair analysis, his support of the now struck-off doctor Andrew Wakefield and advocating the use of "non-drug alternatives for mental health", for which he has been given an award by the Church of Scientology-backed Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

In 2006 Patrick Holford was discovered to be using his PR adviser to delete content on his Misplaced Pages page that was critical of him.

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" has been criticised by Ben Goldacre. 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 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".

Holford replied to The Guardian newspaper that:

"As well knows, the author of the research – Dr Raxit Jariwalla – wrote to the Guardian (January 20, 2005) the last time Goldacre made this claim, to confirm that my statement is correct on the basis of two 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."

Goldacre replied that Raxit Jariwalla was a senior researcher at the Rath Research Institute in California – connected to vitamin salesman Matthias Rath. Matthias Rath has been linked to the previous policy of the South African government to deny anti-viral drugs to HIV positive patients.

Autism

Holford believes that there is a potential link in some susceptible children between the MMR vaccine and the development of autism-like symptoms. This is against the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community and many high-quality empirical studies that demonstrate there is no such link. The Wakefield et al. paper upon which this hypothesis was based has been discredited by the scientific community and was retracted from the journal, and 10 of the 12 co-authors have formally disavowed the paper's conclusions. 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)

The Cochrane Library's systematic review also concluded that "The design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR vaccine studies, both pre- and post- marketing, are largely inadequate...." Nonetheless, it noted that the vaccine has prevented diseases that still carry a heavy burden of death and complications, and that the lack of confidence in the vaccine has damaged public health.

Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital, reported that after 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. Holford dismissed the allegations as "professional jealousy", stating that "This 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." Holford claimed that the girl was already a poor sleeper and that when placed on a less restrictive diet she was able to regain the weight she had lost.

Advertising

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)." A previous adjudication by the ASA also went against Mr Holford. . Mr Holford has also been the subject of at least two adverse rulings by the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa.

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 (updated 2012)
  • 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 (2007)
  • Optimum Nutrition Made Easy: How to Achieve Optimum Health (2008)
  • Optimum Nutrition For Your Child (2008)
  • How to Quit without Feeling S**t: The Fast, Highly Effective Way to End Addiction to Caffeine, Sugar, Cigarettes, Alcohol, Illicit or Prescription Drugs (2008)
  • Food Glorious Food: Incredibly Delicious Low-GL Recipes for Friends and Family (2008)
  • The Low-GL Diet Bible by Patrick Holford (2009)
  • The 10 Secrets of 100% Healthy People (2009)
  • The Perfect Pregnancy Cookbook (2010)
  • 100% Health Survey (2010)
  • The Optimum Nutrition Cookbook (2010)
  • The Feel Good Factor (2010)
  • Say no to Diabetes (2011)
  • 10 Secrets of Healthy Ageing (2012)
  • 10 Secrets of 100% Health Cookbook (2012)
  • Burn Fat Fast (2013)
  • The Stress Cure (2015)

References

  1. ^ Holford, Patrick. Patrick Holford: Profile howtoquit.co.uk. Accessed 29 May 2009.
  2. Doctored information on celebrity nutritionist, Ben Goldacre, The Guardian, 6 January 2007, retrieved 25 May 2010
  3. "Institute of Optimum Nutrition". Ion.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  4. About Patrick Archived 25 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "IoP: Primary Care Mental Health". Iop.kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  6. STEEL, www.steel-london.co.uk. "Our mission". Food for the Brain. Archived from the original on 24 November 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  7. "Brain Bio Centre". Foodforthebrain.org. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  8. The British Association of Nutrition Therapy, "About BANT". Retrieved 7 January 2007.
  9. South African Association of Nutritional Therapy Archived 7 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Irish Association of Nutritional Therapists". Iant.ie. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  11. "Patrick Holford Foreign Editions". Patrickholford.com. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  12. Damian Thompson (2008). Counterknowledge. New York: Norton. ISBN 9780393067699. OCLC 227016172. OL 16872029M.
  13. Goldacre, Ben (6 January 2007). "Doctored information on celebrity nutritionist". The Guardian.
  14. Holford, Patrick. The New Optimum Nutrition Bible, Chapter 24. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
  15. ^ Goldacre, Ben. "Vitamin deficiency". The Guardian, 6 January 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
  16. ^ Goldacre, Ben. "Working papers". The Guardian, 20 January 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
  17. Colquhoun, David (15 August 2007). "The age of endarkenment | Science | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  18. Holford, Patrick. Letter to The Guardian, 16 February 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
  19. Jariwalla, Raxit. Letter to The Guardian, 20 January 2005. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
  20. How money is not the only barrier to Aids patients getting hold of drugs, Ben Goldacre, The Guardian, 17 February 2007, retrieved 25 May 2010
  21. "Matthias Rath – steal this chapter – Bad Science".
  22. | title=Autism |publisher=Foodforthebrain.org |date= |accessdate=3 February 2014
  23. Infectious Diseases and Immunization Committee, Canadian Paediatric Society (2007). "Autistic spectrum disorder: No causal relationship with vaccines". Paediatr Child Health. 12 (5): 393–5. PMC 2528717. PMID 19030398. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2008. Also published in "Autistic spectrum disorder: No causal relationship with vaccines". Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 18 (3): 177–9. 2007. doi:10.1155/2007/267957. PMC 2533550. PMID 18923720..
  24. "Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 22 August 2008. Archived from the original on 7 April 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  25. Institute of Medicine (US) Immunization Safety Review Committee (17 May 2004). Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism. Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.17226/10997. ISBN 978-0-309-09237-1. PMID 20669467. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  26. "MMR The facts". NHS Immunisation Information. 2004. Archived from the original on 7 January 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  27. Di Pietrantonj, Carlo; Rivetti, Alessandro; Marchione, Pasquale; Debalini, Maria Grazia; Demicheli, Vittorio (20 April 2020). "Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 4 (4): CD004407. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004407.pub4. ISSN 1469-493X. PMC 7169657. PMID 32309885.
  28. Goodchild, Sophie and Owen, Jonathan. "Doctors warn against food fad dangers". The Independent on Sunday, 7 January 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
  29. Patrick Holford (18 March 2007). "Doctors warn against food fad dangers – a clarification". London: News.independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  30. "ASA 2007 Judgement". Asa.org.uk. 19 September 2007. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  31. "ASA 2003 Judgement". Cap.org.uk. 26 March 2003. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  32. http://www.quackdown.info/article/tag/Holford/>

Further reading

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