Patrick Holford is a 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. 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'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.
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 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. 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.
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" 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."
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)
The Cochrane Library's systematic review also concluded 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 - 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. Holford has argued that the allegations result from “professional jealousy”, stating 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." 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.
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.
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 (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: Live Longer, Look Younger, Feel Great! (to be published in 2009)
- The Optimum Nutrition Perfect Pregnancy Plan: Recipes to Boost Your Fertility and Promote a Healthy Pregnancy (to be published in 2010)
Bibliography
- Goldacre, Ben (2009). Bad Science. HarperPerennial. ISBN 000728487X
References
- ^
- ^ "IoP: Primary Care Mental Health". Iop.kcl.ac.uk . http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/departments/?locator=367 . Retrieved 2009-08-05 .
- ^ STEEL, www.steel-london.co.uk. "Our mission". Food for the Brain . http://www.foodforthebrain.org/content.asp?id_Content=1630 . Retrieved 2009-08-05 . ...
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