Nutritional therapists 'offering dangerous advice'

16th January 2012 - An investigation by the consumer magazine Which? has concluded that some nutritional therapists are providing expensive dietary advice that in many cases could seriously harm patients' health.

It sent undercover researchers posing as patients to 15 therapists for consultations. The results were judged by a panel of medical experts which rated six of the visits as 'dangerous fails'.

In the worst case, the magazine said a nutritional therapist advised against surgery and radiotherapy to treat cancer.

The majority of the therapists visited were members of the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT), which has accused Which? of using fictitious consultations and a biased panel of experts.

Health shops and gyms

Nutritional therapists aim to improve health by combining nutrition and dietary supplements. They usually operate from high street health shops, gyms or from home.

Which? assigned five undercover researchers to each visit three nutritional therapists. Each was equipped with a specific health-related scenario for which they sought advice.

• Helen and Sarah, both in their 40s,  said they had recently been diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer
• Mark and Linda, both in their 50s, said they had experienced serious fatigue for the past three months
• Emily, aged 31, said she had been trying, unsuccessfully, to conceive for more than a year

'Irresponsible' cancer advice

Sarah was told by her therapist to delay radiotherapy treatment recommended for breast cancer by her oncologist, saying they could rid the body of cancer through diet. She was recommended a no-sugar diet for three to six months and told that ‘cancer feeds off sugar'. By cutting out sugar, the therapist said there was a better chance of the cancer going away.

The Which? panel of experts, made up of a GP, a dietitian and a professor of pharmacology, described the advice as "highly irresponsible".

Missed symptoms

Four out of six consultations involving researchers Mark and Linda were also rated as 'dangerous fails'. They told therapists about their long-standing tiredness, but the therapists failed to pick up on other symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, which could have signalled more serious conditions.

Mark was advised by one therapist that if he started to feel unwell on his treatment plan he should not tell his doctor because 'they wouldn't understand what was happening'.

Emily, the woman who said she had been unable to conceive, was diagnosed with 'a bit of bowel toxicity' and a 'leathery bowel', which the expert panel said were meaningless terms.

Costly treatments

The nutritional therapists charged between £50 and £80 for each visit, with some patients being recommended additional tests costing more money. The report says some therapists were recommending supplements costing up to £70 a month, some of which at dose levels that could have caused side effects like stomach pain and diarrhoea.