Misplaced Pages

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Patrick Holford is a British nutritionist, author, and the founder and director of the Institute of Optimum Nutrition in London. He is the director of the Food for the Brain Foundation, a registered charity, founded by Holford and Professor André Tylee of the Institute of Psychiatry, that seeks to help children with special needs through improved nutrition, and the Brain Bio Centre, a clinic for those wishing to pursue a nutrition-based approach to mental health problems. He appears regularly on television and radio in the UK.

He has written over twenty books, which have been translated into 17 languages. His first book, The Optimum Nutrition Bible, has sold over a million copies worldwide.

Career

Holford obtained a B.Sc. 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, he 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.

He is a Fellow of the British Association of Nutrition Therapy (BANT), which is one of a number of bodies which aims to regulate nutritional therapists. There is no statutory body for nutritionists in the UK, as the field is not regulated.

Criticism

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 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 argues that the paper does not compare vitamin C to AZT for efficacy; he writes that it "doesn't even contain the word AZT". He further 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. He also writes 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.”

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 writes 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.".

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.

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.

External links

• Patrick Holford's Website
• Institute of Optimum Nutrition
• Food for the Brain
• The Brain Bio Centre

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