Comments on: Patrick Holford’s Advertising Standards http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/09/patrick-holfords-advertising-standards.html Experiments and Thoughts on Quackery, Health Beliefs and Pseudoscience Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:52:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Shinga http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/09/patrick-holfords-advertising-standards.html#comment-5139 Shinga Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:40:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2007/09/patrick-holford%e2%80%99s-advertising-standards.html#comment-5139 The UK's FSA probably has something comparable but the US has some <a HREF="http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=3&tax_subject=274&topic_id=1323&level3_id=5147" REL="nofollow" rel="nofollow">good vitamins and minerals fact sheets on supplements</a> and also a <a HREF="http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/" REL="nofollow" rel="nofollow">database on the nutrient content of food</a>. The UK’s FSA probably has something comparable but the US has some good vitamins and minerals fact sheets on supplements and also a database on the nutrient content of food.

]]> By: diccon http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/09/patrick-holfords-advertising-standards.html#comment-5138 diccon Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:01:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2007/09/patrick-holford%e2%80%99s-advertising-standards.html#comment-5138 All right, this is good stuff and I applaud your tenaciousness about exposing frauds and quacks.<br/><br/>Now, I take a fairly inexpensive store-branded multi-vitamin daily because I eat mainly microwaved food or at a sandwich shop and I know my diet is not in any way balanced - except for the lettuce and chalky tomato slices. <br/><br/>I noticed that the multi-vitamin lists zinc oxide as the source for dietary zinc. Zinc oxide is used as a sun screen, and is not readily soluble, but it is worn off by sand and surf. <br/><br/>Is there a place where the appropriate sources of vitamins and trace elements are listed? All right, this is good stuff and I applaud your tenaciousness about exposing frauds and quacks.

Now, I take a fairly inexpensive store-branded multi-vitamin daily because I eat mainly microwaved food or at a sandwich shop and I know my diet is not in any way balanced – except for the lettuce and chalky tomato slices.

I noticed that the multi-vitamin lists zinc oxide as the source for dietary zinc. Zinc oxide is used as a sun screen, and is not readily soluble, but it is worn off by sand and surf.

Is there a place where the appropriate sources of vitamins and trace elements are listed?

]]> By: SciencePunk http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/09/patrick-holfords-advertising-standards.html#comment-5136 SciencePunk Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:26:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2007/09/patrick-holford%e2%80%99s-advertising-standards.html#comment-5136 I love the Googlebombing effect of discussing dodgy doctors. It brings me great joy to see Quackometer <i>et al.</i> appearing in the top returned results for web searches of Patrick Holford and the like. I love the Googlebombing effect of discussing dodgy doctors. It brings me great joy to see Quackometer et al. appearing in the top returned results for web searches of Patrick Holford and the like.

]]> By: UKdietitian http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/09/patrick-holfords-advertising-standards.html#comment-5135 UKdietitian Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:46:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2007/09/patrick-holford%e2%80%99s-advertising-standards.html#comment-5135 What an eloquent article.<br/>Anyone who actually believed the 'leading clinical nutritionist' tag that Holford insists is used to describe him should by now have revised their opinion viewing both the man and his comments more objectively. <br/>Well done.<br/><br/>And for the real professionals in nutrition, the 6500 Registered Dietitians (RD) out there working in hospitals, health centres, private practice, industry, health promotion, education, sports nutrition, broadcast and print media, and the food industry can be trusted for their ability to place clinical nutritional and dietetic knowledge into context for individuals and groups, working within the strict code of professional conduct insisted on by the Health Professions Council that regulates their practice...www.hpc-uk.org or http://tinyurl.com/yufuyh<br/> <br/>Who needs 'cargo-cult' ION/ BANT nutritionists when you can access the 'real thing'? What an eloquent article.
Anyone who actually believed the ‘leading clinical nutritionist’ tag that Holford insists is used to describe him should by now have revised their opinion viewing both the man and his comments more objectively.
Well done.

And for the real professionals in nutrition, the 6500 Registered Dietitians (RD) out there working in hospitals, health centres, private practice, industry, health promotion, education, sports nutrition, broadcast and print media, and the food industry can be trusted for their ability to place clinical nutritional and dietetic knowledge into context for individuals and groups, working within the strict code of professional conduct insisted on by the Health Professions Council that regulates their practice…www.hpc-uk.org or http://tinyurl.com/yufuyh

Who needs ‘cargo-cult’ ION/ BANT nutritionists when you can access the ‘real thing’?

]]> By: quacknet http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/09/patrick-holfords-advertising-standards.html#comment-5133 quacknet Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:51:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2007/09/patrick-holford%e2%80%99s-advertising-standards.html#comment-5133 dear black duck, once again I find myself in almost complete agreement with your column. But let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. While I share your reservations about Patrick, and agree that his work shows a profound lack of understanding of the scientific method, he has at least one valid point: dysnutrition is indeed prevalent in the OECD nations, for the well-established and structural reasons I have previously posted. There is a strong case for improving the nutrient / calorie ratio of the modern diet. Personally I don't care if this is done via food fortification or via supplements, there are arguments for both. There is a trio of papers in press for a very well regarded (and peer-reviewed) journal which cover a lot of this stuff, I will send you on the references when they become available. All the best,<br/>Paul Clayton<br/>(If you are really interested I can send you pre-publication copies, but under the usual embargo terms) dear black duck, once again I find myself in almost complete agreement with your column. But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. While I share your reservations about Patrick, and agree that his work shows a profound lack of understanding of the scientific method, he has at least one valid point: dysnutrition is indeed prevalent in the OECD nations, for the well-established and structural reasons I have previously posted. There is a strong case for improving the nutrient / calorie ratio of the modern diet. Personally I don’t care if this is done via food fortification or via supplements, there are arguments for both. There is a trio of papers in press for a very well regarded (and peer-reviewed) journal which cover a lot of this stuff, I will send you on the references when they become available. All the best,
Paul Clayton
(If you are really interested I can send you pre-publication copies, but under the usual embargo terms)

]]> By: Shinga http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/09/patrick-holfords-advertising-standards.html#comment-5132 Shinga Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:50:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2007/09/patrick-holford%e2%80%99s-advertising-standards.html#comment-5132 "And so in some ways, it is quite remarkable that the ASA have been able to make a ruling at all."<br/><br/>As ever, well-made arguments; it is extraordinary, as you say, that if you manage to place editorial that is not exposed to any critical thinking, that is not covered by the ASA whereas it would be if you were to pay to express those same ideas in an obvious advert.<br/><br/>Do we need something along the lines of a National Trading Standards and Advertising body that can investigate relevant issues, irrespective of location? Something that crosses the boundaries of the issue of whether something is PR/advert/brochure etc.? “And so in some ways, it is quite remarkable that the ASA have been able to make a ruling at all.”

As ever, well-made arguments; it is extraordinary, as you say, that if you manage to place editorial that is not exposed to any critical thinking, that is not covered by the ASA whereas it would be if you were to pay to express those same ideas in an obvious advert.

Do we need something along the lines of a National Trading Standards and Advertising body that can investigate relevant issues, irrespective of location? Something that crosses the boundaries of the issue of whether something is PR/advert/brochure etc.?

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