Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science

I’ve previously blogged about Holford’s rapid response on the BMJ website failing to declare his ‘competing interests’. David Colquhoun responds to Holford, arguing that Holford “[b]eing the sole shareholder in Health Products for Life might be thought of by the sceptical as constituting a rather large financial interest in promotion of nutritional supplements”.

Rather than apologising, though, Holford has submitted a second rapid response which argues that “I was pointing out that the scientific data for turmeric – found in curry - having a beneficial effect was substantial…Since I don’t run an Indian restaurant I didn’t feel there were any conflicts involved in recommending curry.”

Sounds fair enough. Well, it would be, except Holford’s HealthProductsForLife sells curcumin (turmeric extract) supplements. Holford’s initial rapid response stated that “1834 studies are cited in PubMed on turmeric or curcumin, thought to be the active ingredient in this spice, many of which demonstrate clear anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing properties, 648 of which relate specifically, and consistently, to it’s anti-cancer properties.” HealthProductsForLife therefore sells the product which Holford claims has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, immune-enhancing and anti-cancer properties’. Sounds like a competing interest to me.

One more thing to note - Holford also attacks Prof Colquhoun, arguing that Colquhoun “has so far not felt it relevant to mention his own competing interests and financial involvements with the pharmaceutical industry”. Now, this might lead one to believe that Colquhoun is hiding his interests in the evil pharmaceutical industry - in order to have a go at a poor nutritionist. However, Colquhoun didn’t declare any competing interests because, um, he doesn’t have any (unlike Holford). Colquhoun’s “research has never been funded by the drug industry, but always by the Medical Research Council or by the Wellcome Trust“. Oops.