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Revision as of 13:47, 21 February 2007 by Thumperward (talk | contribs) (restore this ref next to the original statement, which is still pertinent. some title edits)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Patrick Holford is a British 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.
Holford 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.
Holford describes himself as a nutritionist, though this is not a term covered by a registered professional body in the United Kingdom.
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, Holford founded the Institute of 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 ION, of which he was a director, awarded him an honorary Diploma in Nutritional Therapy.
Holford is a Fellow of the British Association of Nutrition Therapy (BANT), one of a number of bodies that aims to regulate nutritional therapists in the UK.
Criticism
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 Dr 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 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 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's response to this letter from Dr Jariwalla was to point out that Dr Jariwalla is a senior researcher at the Dr Rath Research Institute in California and that the same Matthias Rath makes a large amount of money selling vitamins as an Aids treatment in South Africa.
Holford also posted a reply to the British Medical Journal in which he suggests that research will never be carried out by the private sector into "food as drug replacement," because they are non-patentable. He also writes that recommending something with "good safety data," even without complete research, can't be that bad, quoting George Bernard 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."
In January 2007, an article written by Goldacre in The Guardian detailed how Fuel PR, a public relations firm working for Holford, had anonymously remov��ed 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
- Shabi, Rachel. “Food fighters”. The Guardian, 8 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.
- ^ Holford, Patrick. Patrick Holford: Profile. patrickholford.com. Accessed 6 January 2007.
- The British Association of Nutrition Therapy, “About BANT”. Accessed 7 January 2007
- ^ Goldacre, Ben. “Vitamin deficiency”. The Guardian, 6 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.
- ^ Goldacre, Ben. “Working papers”. The Guardian, 20 January 2005. Accessed 6 January 2007.
- Holford, Patrick. "My right to be called a nutritionist", The Guardian, February 16, 2007.
- Goldacre, Ben."How money is not the only barrier to Aids patients getting hold of drugs", The Guardian, February 17, 2007
- ^ "Rapid Responses to: Tell us the truth about nutritionists"
- Goodchild, Sophie and Owen, Jonathan. “Doctors warn against food fad dangers”. The Independent on Sunday, 7 January 2007. Accessed 18 January 2007.
- Goldacre, Ben. "Doctored information on celebrity nutritionist". The Guardian, 6 January 2007. Accessed 6 January 2007.