Got another Holford e-mail (through his mailing list) on April 5 - this time, talking about hayfever and allergic reactions. Holford advises that readers
-Avoid mucus-forming, pro-inflammatory foods such as dairy products and meat.
-Further reduce your allergic potential by avoiding highly allergenic foods such as wheat, gluten (rich in wheat, rye and barley) and yeast.
-Get tested for food allergies so that you know if there are any other foods you need to avoid. And sort out any digestive problems. Disruption in the gut enhances allergic potential.
Unsurprisingly, the tests that Holford recommends are the same IgG and IgAtTG tests that he has advertised before, and that he sells.
- Firstly, IgG tests for food intolerance do not reliably diagnose food intolerance, even when used ‘correctly’.
- Secondly, at best these tests can measure whether one has reacted to a certain food. Therefore, if readers follow Holford’s advice - cut out whole food groups and then, a while later, get an IgG blood test - there’s about a snowball’s chance in hell of the tests diagnosing any intolerances to these foods, even if the test subject is intolerant.
- Thirdly, the tests Holford sells only try to find IgG/IgAtTG reactions. Other reactions (e.g. IgE-mediated reactions) may not be found.
Once again, Holford seems to be conflating allergy and intolerance. Again, he gives inappropriate advice on diagnosing allergies and intolerance. And, once again, he happens to sell the ‘diagnostic’ tools that he’s promoting.
Anyway, this repetition must be getting a bit tedious. If Patrick Holford keeps repeating the same bad advice, though, I feel kind-of obliged to keep repeating the same kind of criticisms. Sorry.
7 responses so far ↓
UK Dietitian // April 6, 2007 at 9:58 pm
The fat globules in milk give ‘mouthfeel’ similar to mucus, hence the perceived link with excessive mucus production, such as in colds. But there is plenty of evidence - such as below - which disprove Holfords recommendations. The best thing to do if you have ‘excessive mucus’ is to drink plenty and ignore anything Patrick Holford says. And try skimmed milk and low fat products if you feel milk worsens symptoms…
Wuthrich B, Schmid A, Walther B, Sieber R.
Milk consumption does not lead to mucus production or occurrence of asthma.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 24:547S-55S.
There is a belief among some members of the public that the consumption of milk
and dairy products increases the production of mucus in the respiratory system.
Therefore, some who believe in this effect renounce drinking milk. According to
Australian studies, subjects perceived some parameters of mucus production to
change after consumption of milk and soy-based beverages, but these effects were
not specific to cows’ milk because the soy-based milk drink with similar sensory
characteristics produced the same changes. In individuals inoculated with the
common cold virus, milk intake was not associated with increased nasal
secretions, symptoms of cough, nose symptoms or congestion. Nevertheless,
individuals who believe in the mucus and milk theory report more respiratory
symptoms after drinking milk. In some types of alternative medicine, people with
bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the lower respiratory tract,
are advised not to eat so-called mucus-forming foods, especially all kinds of
dairy products. According to different investigations the consumption of milk
does not seem to exacerbate the symptoms of asthma and a relationship between
milk consumption and the occurrence of asthma cannot be established. However,
there are a few cases documented in which people with a cow’s milk allergy
presented with asthma-like symptoms.
Jon // April 6, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Thanks for the reference - was wondering about the mucus-forming thing, but never got round to looking into it.
By the way, if it’s of any interest I’ve quoted Holford’s supplement recommendations for those with hayfever/allergies below. Aside from all the pills, I especially like his suggestion that “If you are in the midst of an allergic reaction, take three times this amount [of supplements] for short-term use only”. So if you’re in anaphylactic shock, you just need to neck a few vitamin pills (on the off-chance that you’re still able to swallow)…
“ANTI-ALLERGY SUPPLEMENTS - SYNERGY WORKS BEST
A combination of these anti-inflammatory nutrients is your best protection. Aim for these daily amounts in addition to your daily multivitamin and 1-2grams of vitamin C:
Per average Daily Daily
capsule amount dose
Quercetin 250mg 2 500mg
Glutamine 250mg 2 500mg
Vitamin C 250mg 2 500mg
Bromelain 50mg 2 100mg
(2000 GDU/g)
MSM 250mg 2 500mg.”
Shinga // April 15, 2007 at 11:13 am
Hmm - the test shop offers a test for coeliac disease and refers to it as gluten allergy. At the risk of sounding picky, isn’t coeliac an autoimmune disease? I’m also not convinced that that test is sufficient, even for serology: negative serology does not rule out the need for the gold standard of a biopsy or look-see.
Regards - Shinga
Jon // April 20, 2007 at 11:44 am
Thanks - more arguments as to why it’s better to see a qualified healthcare provider (or, if these tests are to be sold, they need to be regulated), I guess.
Gramlin // August 26, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Hmm, I’ve noticed that Holford often interchanges the terms “allergy” and “intolerance” in his books. However, I also realised that it was from Holford’s work that I first learnt the distinction between allergy and intolerance. He has, at least once, clearly explained the difference between IgG and IgE reactions. I wonder whether his conflation is more of a PR tactic than misinformation – a great number of people freely use the term “Allergy” for something which is not an IgE reaction, and it is a convenient shorthand.
I also came away from reading one of his books with the understanding that not all intolerance falls into either of these categories, that there are other mechanisms besides. I’m sure he has said himself that an elimination diet is the only real way to ascertain intolerances for certain. He does recommend the ELISA test from York labs – apparently this is for both IgE and Igg reactions.
When I used to read his books, I was repeatedly annoyed by his continued mantra: seek advice from a qualified nutritionist! What, I wondered, is the point of this book if I have to pay someone else to tell me how to implement the info.
I feel sad to have seen holford get so carried away by commercialism these days. I feel his early work was much more modest and of real worth, but I’ve lost my trust in him with recent developments.
jonhw // August 27, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Thanks for the background info, Gramlin.
I wonder whether his conflation is more of a PR tactic than misinformation – a great number of people freely use the term “Allergy” for something which is not an IgE reaction, and it is a convenient shorthand.
Obviously I can’t know Holford’s motivation - but I am aware that ‘allergy’ is often used as a shorthand for something that’s not an IgE reaction. However, when someone is giving out health advice, the difference between a food allergy and intolerance is pretty significant (e.g. someone with a lactose intolerance will be able to have a quite different diet to someone with a serious milk allergy).
At least according to their website, Yorktest offer difference tests for allergy and intolerance (although there are justified concerns re. the accuracy and utility of these tests).
Gramlin // August 28, 2007 at 10:23 am
Thank you for the link, JohnW.
Reading through the article, the problem would appear to be something like this:
The average consumer doesn’t fully understand the science. Parting with a couple of hundred pounds implies a level of trust in the experts. The test results are not conclusive, merely pointers, but sadly they may very well be taken as conclusive. Not enough is done to make people aware of the limitations of such tests, and indeed, if people understood these they might not part with a couple of hundred pounds!
I’ve done elimination diets myself, and I think I’ve been able to tell what foods aren’t so good for me. It would have gone faster if I’d had some initial indicators of which foods to avoid. However, when I considered York labs a few years ago, I was under the impression they were highly accurate indicators. I am very glad I did not part with my money.
Looks like you are doing some good, balanced appraisal here. Keep it up.
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