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Patrick Holford is a controversial British nutritionist, author, and the founder and director of the Institute of Optimum Nutrition in London. Holford is also the director of the Food for the Brain Foundation, 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.

His nutrition advice and his lack of formal qualifications have been criticised by professional dieticians.

Career

Holford obtained a BSc in experimental psychology from the University of York in 1976. 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.

In 1984, Holford founded the Institute of Optimum Nutrition (ION). At that institute, he has worked on nutritional approaches to 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 ION, of which he was a director, awarded him an honorary Diploma in Nutritional Therapy.

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.

Criticism

Holford's qualifications and expertise have been questioned. 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 nutritional therapists; 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.

His claims about nutrition have been questioned by proponents of evidence-based medicine. For example, Dr Ben Goldacre has criticised 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". 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". Goldacre notes that the paper does not compare vitamin C to AZT for efficacy: in fact, it "doesn't even contain the word AZT". 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." Holford posted a reply to the BMJ in which he suggests that research will never be carried out by the private sector into 'food as drug replacement' as they are non-patentable. Further, that recommending something with "good safety data", even without complete research, can't be that bad, quoting Shaw “Those of you who say it can’t be done should not interrupt those of us who are doing it.”

Further, Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital, London, has called on BANT to investigate Holford over advice he gave to a young autistic 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.". Unlike Holford, who courts media publicity to ensure fuel for his current campaigns, Catherine Collins is bound by professional and legal responsibilities to maintain patient confidentiality, thus undermining her ability to justify her comments to the broader audience.

Misplaced Pages Controversy

In January 2007, a Guardian article written by Goldacre detailed how Fuel PR, a public relations firm working for Holford, had anonymously removed all criticism from his Misplaced Pages article. Holford says this was not his intention: he had intended for the PR firm he employed to add a defence to the criticisms. The user account was banned indefinitely from Misplaced Pages.

On February 16th, Goldacre wrote on his website detailing how Holford had solicited subscribers to his website to write positively about him on his Misplaced Pages page:

'Weirdness on Misplaced Pages - Ideally, debates on issues of scientific and medical contention should stick to the facts, but unfortunately those in the front line of paradigm shifts are usually subject to personal attacks, of which I’ve had many. I noticed a few on Misplaced Pages, which is meant to be the ‘people’s encyclopedia’ meaning that anyone can edit an entry. Unfortunately, some of the people who have been editing appear to be part of the pro-drug lobby. I did write to the moderator to straighten out some facts, but have had no reply, so I’ve decided to stay out of it. Of course, if you think there’s anything said that is wrong, or anything you’d like to add, feel free to do so.'

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

1. ^ Patrick Holford, Patrick Holford: Profile. patrickholford.com. Accessed 6 January 2007.
2. Rachel Shabi, “Food fighters”. The Guardian, 8 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.
3. The British Association of Nutrition Therapy, “About BANT”. Accessed 7 January 2007
4. ^ Ben Goldacre, “Vitamin deficiency”. The Guardian, 6 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.
5. ^ Ben Goldacre, “Working papers”. The Guardian, 20 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.
6. ^ Rapid Responses to: Tell us the truth about nutritionists
7. Sophie Goodchild and Jonathan Owen, “Doctors warn against food fad dangers”. The Independent on Sunday, 7 January 2007. Accessed 18 January 2007.
8. ^ Ben Goldacre, "Doctored information on celebrity nutritionist". The Guardian, 6 January 2007. Accessed 6 January 2007.
9. Ben Goldacre, "Doctoring the records - updated thrice". badscience.net, 7 January 2007. Accessed 7 January 2007.
10. Ben Goldacre, "Holford, solicits wikipedia changes. again. inevitable consequences". badscience.net, 16 January 2007. Accessed 17 January 2007.

See also

• Patrick Holford's Website
• Institute of Optimum Nutrition
• Food for the Brain
• The Brain Bio Centre
• Doctoring the records - Criticism of Patrick Holford at http://badscience.net

• Living people
• Nutritionists
• Alumni of the University of York