There is a decent explanation of the AltMed “Pyroluria” theory on Wikipedia, which traces the idea to both Abram Hoffer AND (later) Carl Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer is Patrick’s other ur-guru. So it’s no wonder Patrique is a fan of the test.

In addition, many of the people you find wittering on about “pyroluria” turn out on a bit of Internet chasing to be connected to the DAN! “metal toxicity” end of autism quackery. It is amazing how all these people are connected to one another. I’ll stop now in case I start sounding like a conspiracy theorist.

The Brain Bio Centre has assimilated the Mental Health Project and itself been assimilated by Food for the Brain Foundation. However, sooner than mess about with more pdfs, you can see that they are still recommending the test for pyroluria. Indeed, Former Visiting Professor Patrick Holford mentions it in his CV as part of his case for support for the visiting professorship (although there, it is somewhat carelessly spelt as ‘pyrolluyria’).

Several people took the mental health questionnaire and were startled by the pyroluria business.

We really do need to write something up on this. However, the difficulty is finding a pathologist who can talk about this test etc. with any confidence. Because no sensible lab seems to do the test because…

Hmmm. That is an interesting one. This test probably goes all the way back to our old friend (and one of Patrick’s”mentors”) Abram Hoffer. This test is related to Hoffer’s original early 50s theory that schizophrenia was related to the build-up of some kind of weird mescaline-y relative of adrenaline in the body, and that this inappropriate build-up could be treated with things like niacin – see Hoffer’s own account here.

And looking through Hoffer’s publication list, these two caught by eye:

Hoffer A. “Effect of niacin and nicotinamide on leukocytes and some urinary constituents.” Can Med Assoc J 74:448-451, 1955. (No known electronic link)

Hoffer A, Osmond H, Callbeck MJ & Kahan I: “Treatment of schizophrenia with nicotinic acid and nicotinamide.” J Clin Exper Psychopathol 18:131-158, 1957. (No known electronic link).

Of course, fifty years ago this was cutting edge stuff, and Hoffer and Humphry Osmond were funded to look into it by serious funders like the Rockefeller Foundation (and possibly also by the CIA, if you are into the MK Ultra conspiracy theories).

Agnew N & Hoffer A. Nicotinic acid modified lysergic acid diethylamide psychosis. J Ment Science 101:12-27, 1955. (Abstract available Here)

But I am amazed that the cryptopyrrole idea is still washing around in the Nutri-underground.

Or perhaps I shouldn’t be – after all, in the world of Nutri-Woo, NO Woo ever really goes away – New Woo simply gets added to it. Hence the persistence of 80-yr old nonsense like the Gerson Diet.

[T]wo separate studies now report that mean weight loss is the same in high and low GL diets but that individuals with high insulin secretion do better on the low GL diets, it seems most likely that this is a real finding that may have important clinical utility for treatment of obesity in the future…

Our finding that low GL diets do not result in greater mean weight loss at 1 year in a healthy overweight population may be an uncomfortable message for proponents of low GI diets who would like it to be universally effective. However, we hope Dr Brand Miller agrees that scientific progress is best made by looking objectively at the range of factors that influence eating behavior and food intake.

I find the observation about the greater benefits for “individuals with high insulin secretion” to be very interesting and I hope at somewhere, someone is running some trials of appropriate quality to test this.

It is unrewardingly difficult to try and make comparisons of what people understand by low GI or GL across the different studies. We are, as ever, trying to run the different methods of the studies through various analyses to see if something emerges that we could talk about. tbh, however, we rather think that the more recent Das et al. series of papers will make a substantial difference to the next update of the Cochrane review that they will do a far better job than we can. However, in the interim, perhaps we ought to write to the Cochrane authors for some discussion on this matter.

Nonetheless, a fuller item on GL will be appearing at some point. Like the one on glutamine. And the mental health wibbles for niacin. And some of the odder tests such as kryptopyrolles in the urine. And, and…

Incidentally, there is something odd about what PH says on his site about the Cochrane review. The review is on “low GI OR low GL” but PH quotes it as indicating that “low GL is wonderful”… I read through the whole thing (albeit quickly) and I couldn’t see that anywhere. Methinks I smell a bit of selective misquoting, but perhaps someone with a bit more expertise in reading dietary studies than me needs to compare what the review says and what PH says it says.

Of course, as the review has been out for a while you may have done this already?

I see that Ms Lloyd’s health was transformed after following the programme for 6 weeks and (forgive me for mentioning this but I’m not the person who disclosed it for public consumption) “her periods are regular”. After 6 weeks? What sort of cycle is regular for her that she would know this after 6 weeks?

And who knew that changing from a “diet of crisps, sweets, McDonalds and beer as well as lack of exercise” to anything that vaguely resembled whole foods along with some exercise would bring about such a transformation? Oh come on, somebody must have been surprised by this. No?

“Mere words cannot do the man justice.” Indeed. HolfordWatch tries but we are ultimately doomed to failure.
———
PS – For several months, on and off, we have been trying to put together a review of the claims that Holford makes for the gut-healing properties of glutamine. But, to no avail because of the complete dearth of references. There’s nothing like being able to make a bunch of assertions that nobody can check. At some point, between instances such as this and other occasions where the research is distorted beyond recognition or just plain valueless, one has to be able to say, “You may be an ex-Visiting Professor who was in position for almost a year and thus able to say ‘et in arcadia ego’, but you are not reliable in such matters”.

“A diet of crisps, sweets, McDonalds and beer as well as lack of exercise had led to Danielle becoming her heaviest ever, and suffering from health problems such as poor digestion, lack of energy and severe premenstrual syndrome.”

Ah… so that was what all the Celebrity Big Brother fuss was about…

But after the inevitable York Food Intolerance test – *sigh* – and the equally inevitable resulting diagnosis of “dairy intolerance”

- PS does anyone who has Patrick’s test ever NOT get diagnosed with dairy intolerance? -

Ms Lloyd is now much restored, thanks to , inter alia:

“[ supplemental] digestive enzymes, probiotics and a teaspoon of glutamine powder- which is like an MOT for your insides.”

Luckily, Danielle will not have to maintain this punishing regime because now that she has her Holford Bowel MOT:

“She will… not need these but will continue to take my Optimum Nutrition Pack”.

Patrick truly bestrides the modern world of nutrition like a colossus. From Cochrane reviews to celeb-bimbo tummy in one click of a mouse. Mere words cannot do the man justice.