Holford Myths: what is the problem with Nutritionist Patrick Holford?

Professor Patrick Holford is certainly attracting publicity to the University of Teesside. On Saturday, Damian Thompson mentioned Holford as instrumental in (inadvertently) exposing the shoddy research at the heart of nutritionism and other CAM: The last rites for alternative medicine? And, today, Lois Rogers of The Times discusses: Do vitamin supplements do more harm than good? Read the rest of this entry »

The nation recently had many opportunities to listen to Professor Patrick Holford of the University of Teesside and Head of Science and Education at Biocare. Holford was engaged in a manufactroversy about the Cochrane Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases (review). In several of the interviews he framed himself as a scientist and presented himself as a equivalent scientist to those who had conducted the review. Read the rest of this entry »

HolfordWatch is considering the weighty proposition: Will Science Blogging Absolve the Mainstream Media of the Need to Provide Science Coverage? It’s a fairly wide-ranging discussion that discusses the common understanding that there is something amiss with the current state of science journalism. As it stands, science and health journalism mostly fails to meet the needs of either a specialist or general audience. However, most media proprietors seem to be unconcerned about this because, unlike other specialist interests, such as darts, or gardening, there is little to be gained from advertising sales. In an unvirtuous circle, this lack of potential advertising revenue means that there is little economic rationale for maintaining a staff with specialist knowledge. Res ipse loquitur as someone, somewhere, will be saying. Read the rest of this entry »