'Dangerous' Advice From Nutritionists Exposed

Nutritionists are giving "dangerous" advice to patients suffering from illnesses including cancer, according to a Which? investigation.

The consumer group said therapists are providing "expensive dietary advice that could seriously harm patients' health".

Undercover investigators posing as patients were sent to 15 consultations with nutritional therapists - who charged between £50 and £80 per visit.

From the 15 visits, six were rated as "dangerous fails" by a Which? expert panel, which includes a GP.

A further eight were rated as "fails" and only one was deemed a "borderline pass".

One patient who informed the nutritionist she had breast cancer was told to delay the radiotherapy treatment recommended by her oncologist - and that her body could be rid of cancer through diet.

The therapist advised her to follow a no-sugar diet for three to six months, saying: "Cancer feeds off sugar. By cutting out sugar we have a better chance of the cancer going away."

The expert panel concluded this was "highly irresponsible" and incorrect advice.

Another consultation saw a woman who said she was trying for a baby subjected to an examination of the iris of her eye - before being told she had "a bit of bowel toxicity" and a "leathery bowel".

The expert panel said both were meaningless terms.

A male patient reporting serious fatigue was told that if the course of treatment prescribed by the nutritionist made him feel unwell, it showed the "treatment was working".

The nutritionist said he should not contact his GP as they "wouldn't understand what was happening".

Several of the therapists also used tests with no evidence base to diagnose a range of symptoms, the investigation found.

Some therapists recommended unnecessary high-dose supplements costing up to £70 a month, which the panel said could have side effects, such as stomach pain and diarrhoea.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: "We found some shocking examples of irresponsible advice given by nutritional therapists.

"Our research shows that not only were they a waste of money but some of their recommendations could seriously harm people's health.

Sian Burton, British Dietetic Association (BDA) vice chairman explained that unlike dieticians, nutrition therapists were not regulated and did not need qualifications.

"In a nutshell, members of the public should be aware that anybody, overnight, can set up shop as a nutrition therapist, with no qualifications and no regulatory body to monitor how they work."