Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science

Yesterday’s Independent carried an article on ‘What Not To Eat’. A large part of the article was based on Holford’s recommendations, and there are a number of problems with the article. I’ll list a few of them below, but the first thing to note is that readers might want to e-mail a letter to the Independent editor - to let them know what you think of the article.

I don’t have time to list all the problems with the article here (it’s sunny outside again, and I don’t want to be spending too long blogging). Here’s a few that stand out, though:
- The article describes Holford as a ‘nutritionist’, but doesn’t make clear that this isn’t a protected title in the UK: anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. Holford is able to call himself a nutritionist despite lacking any accredited university degrees in this area (his only accredited degree is a BSc in Experimental Psychology).
It’s easy to become a ‘qualified nutritionist’, too. For one day only, I’m offering a DipHWNut: buy me a pint, and I’ll confer on you, too, this super-relevant qualification that lets you call yourself a qualified nutritionist. Fame and fortune awaits!
- Holford claims to be “a vegan who eats eggs and fish”. That is what us non-experts call ‘not a vegan’: a vegan is someone who “does not consume or use animal products“. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t eat animal products - I do this myself - but don’t call yourself a vegan if you do.
- Holford appears to make the basic error of confusing food allergies and intolerances. He claims that wheat is one of “the two most common food allergens“; however, the Food Standards Agency describes wheat allergy as “not very common in the UK“. Wheat intolerance is more common, but is quite different from an allergy. It’s very important to distinguish between the two, especially if practicing as a nutritionist.
Anyway, the fact that gluten intolerance is relatively common does not mean that those of us who are not allergic to or intolerant of wheat should stop enjoying wheat products. Good bread is a real pleasure, and a nice British tradition - it’d be tragic to lose this based on dodgy nutritional advice.
- Holford argues that sunflower oil is one of the best types of fat for vegetarians to eat, but this oil is high in omega 6 fats. It seems that eating a relatively high ratio of omega 3 fats to omega 6 fats is beneficial (pdf). Foods rich in omega 6 fats - such as sunflower oil - should therefore be enjoyed in moderation, and not be used as a major part of one’s fat intake*.

Some people may need specialised nutritional advice - they’d do well to see someone who knows what they’re talking about (e.g. a qualified dietician). After all, cutting out large numbers of foods from your diet (e.g. Holford appears to advise avoiding wheat and dairy) without good reason can be unhealthy.

Look - for most people, good nutrition is largely commonsense. As Ben Goldacre likes to say, ‘eat your greens‘. We don’t need self-proclaimed nutritional experts to tell us ‘what not to eat’. We just need our own common sense to tell us what healthy foods we should be enjoying, and which foods are best enjoyed only in moderation.

JonHW (DipHWNUT)

*research in this area is ongoing, and in my understanding is not yet conclusive. However, I still would not view eating lots of omega 6 fats as good nutritional advice.