Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science

Former Visiting Professor Patrick Holford is still, unaccountably, Head of Science and Education at Biocare although Biocare prides itself on the appropriate credentials of its scientific staff. We offer an illustrative example of the validity of Holford’s claim to understand evidence appropriately or interpret it for others: we shall focus on “Vaccinations: what every parent needs to know” in 100%health Newsletter, No. 46, July 2008, pp. 5-8.^[a] (more…)

Former Visiting Professor Patrick Holford and Head of Science and Education at Biocare has been interviewed in South Africa as part of his promotional work for Optimum Nutrition Made Easy. Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4. Regular readers are accustomed to Holford’s alternate reality (and part 2) so will not be surprised that he refers to himself as an expert in diabetes.

We’re tempted to say that he has recourse to this because few knowledgeable people, credulous journalists don’t count, are prepared to describe him as an expert in a named field. (more…)

Former Visiting Professor Patrick Holford and Head of Science and Education at Biocare advised his audience on how to increase their consumption of ORAC units^[1] in a recent talk at the Allergy and Gluten Free Show 2008. Holford was shilling for his 100%health newsletter and describing the research that he and his team do for it and emphasising the importance of a scientific approach.^[2] For a brief, heady moment, it seemed as if Holford were about to advise the audience to take regular doses of Respectful Insolence but it soon transpired that he had oxygen radical absorbance capacity (pdf) in mind. (more…)

Former Visiting Professor Patrick Holford and Head of Science and Education at Biocare has his own special and alternate reality. A personally-constructed reality in which he has a worthwhile opinion when it comes to interpreting the research of acknowledged scholars, delivers effortless insights into matters of nutrition and commends himself for his position on the leading-edge of pretty much every health matter. (more…)

Former Visiting Professor Patrick Holford is Head of Science and Education at Biocare and both he and several other media nutritionists have a relationship with anti-oxidant supplements that mirrors the behaviour of Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet. She slapped them around (metaphorically), she promised them some huge benefits but didn’t deliver them, she occasionally humiliated them and, through it all, she inspired devotion right up until the coup that followed a groundswell of grumblings that no matter what Those Up Top thought, things were not working so well for Everybody Else. (more…)

Patrick Holford has sent his latest email on weight-loss to our faithful reader, Precious Ramotswe. Mma Ramotswe has written to Holford Watch to ask for our advice.

Dear Holford Watch,

I am a traditionally-built lady, as you know. Most of the time, this is of great advantage to me (e.g., snakes know where I am and I can cast shade for small children), but I am subject to much advice on the topic of weight-loss. Patrick Holford has sent me an email about his eating programme. He exhorts me to “Be proud to be seen in [my] bikini this summer and switch to a low GL diet today”. I have looked through it but there is no mention of cake which makes me a little sad. However, it may be possible to put something together from oats and fruit, although that may make me sadder as it does not resemble cake. (more…)

Last weekend, Ben Goldacre discussed some of the benefits of blogs over the mainstream media. As if to confirm this, yesterday Female First - a ‘Celebrity Gossip Magazine’ - has ran a credulous report on Holford’s views on statins. Bad enough in itself, but exactly these claims were thoroughly fisked on HolfordWatch on May 29th. Oh dear…

Visiting Professor Patrick Holford of Teesside University and Head of Science and Education at Biocare has an odd relationship with statins. Who can forget his straight-to-camera overview of Big Pharma’s “full spectrum dominance” and the industrial complex that enforces mass-medication with prescription drugs such as statins. Or his shocked (and incorrect) assertion that “almost 20,000 people have to take a statin for 5 years for 1 less heart attack”. It could never have made sense to anyone who gave the matter half a second’s thought, far less someone who styles himself as leading health expert, but there you have it: Visiting Professor at the University of Teesside and able to make that statement with a rather unnerving (and misplaced) sincerity. Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that Holford sees the just announced and updated NICE Clinical Guidelines^[1] as yet another opportunity to decry Big Pharma’s profits relating to statins and to promote niacin: you may, however, be interested in an upcoming plot twist. (more…)

Visiting Professor Patrick Holford of Teesside University and Head of Science and Education at Biocare has obviously been in deep consultation with the people who devised the Mastercard campaign. “Hallmark Moment, priceless. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.”

Life happens. For everything that’s part of it, there’s a Holford supplement. (more…)

Visiting Professor Patrick Holford of Teesside University and Head of Science and Education at Biocare regularly portrays himself as a fearless advocate for scientific accuracy and rigour. Despite an abundance of evidence to the contrary, he is so convinced of his own competence that Holford regularly accuses others of inaccuracy and questions the integrity of leading researchers such as Professor Carolyn Summerbell (coincidentally, a senior academic at the University of Teesside; we should point out that Holford was in error, not Summerbell). (more…)