Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science

David Colquhoun has blogged about one rather unusual aspect of the CV that Holford submitted in his application for a visiting professorship at Teesside. On his CV, Holford quotes Dr John Marks as praising his work. However, when Colquhoun approached him, Marks stated that:

Way back in, I would guess, the late 1970s or early 1980s I was doing some writing on the vitamins…At that stage Patrick Holford wrote an article or a book on “optimal nutrition” quoting me, inter alia. I did write at his request some comments which were broadly favourable about it, though the text that you quote does not look like mine…Thereafter he has hounded me with pre-publication copies of books etc, each of which has been more exaggerated and less scientific. I was also involved with him at the start of his work on nutritional standards in ordinary members of the public, but it soon became obvious that the whole study was unsupportable and I withdrew completely from it. I also challenged one of his books but got nowhere, even though I suggested that it be not published until he had confirmed some of his ‘observations’…Shortly after that I wrote to him to say that I was not prepared any longer to support his work or views in any way and to please stop using my name as a supporter of his work, and stop writing to me.

Now, the way Holford has used Marks’ alleged quote is unfortunate enough in itself - read the gory details about Patrick Holford and Teesside on Colquhoun’s blog. However, I’ve noticed some other aspects of Holford’s CV which, at best, suggest a certain carelessness or over-confidence. (more…)

Prof David Colquhoun used a Freedom of Information Act request to get a copy of Teeside University’s Case for Patrick Holford as a Visiting Professor [PDF link]. I’ll take a critical look at this here - Teesside managed to cram a lot of problematic statements into a 1 page document. I will analyse some of their claims here:

• “Patrick Holford has an international reputation in terms of nutrition and mental health.” Absolutely, he does have an international reputation. However, as Colquhoun puts it “I guess he has an international reputation. But to find what sort of reputation, just check” the bad science blog. Colquhoun’s nice enough to mention this blog, too, and readers might also like to check out the coverage on Breath Spa, or Colquhoun’s work on Holford’s contribution to endarkenment. It’s also worth remembering that Holford’s ‘international reputation’ includes his reputation for spreading dubious health claims - including claims re. the benefits of vitamin C over AZT for AIDS treatment - to South Africa: Treatment Action Campaign discuss this aspect of Holford’s international fame. I am sure that a prestigious award from the scientology-funded anti-psychiatry group the Citizens Commission for Human Rights really to helped to augment Holford’s international reputation, too. (more…)