‘…even pointed readers to Bad Science while trying to help them see why this was pure hype’.

Everyone will of course recognise that ‘this’ was referring to the media coverage of Puri’s miracle pills – and not to the Bad Science website

(won’t they?)

Ok – here are some relevant facts

1. No journalist from the Daily Mail attended the Associate Parliamentary Food and Health Forum (FHF) at which I and colleagues gave evidence on March 28th – nor has anyone from this marvellously rigorous, scientifically respectable organ contacted me or the FHF (I checked) for information about the evidence that I gave.

2. I did NOT call for fish oil pills to be given to all school children. I called for properly controlled research trials – as I have been doing for years (yawn). Please could you do the most minimal checking before making your accusations? My views on this issue have been pretty fully stated before (see http://www.fabresearch.org/view_item.aspx?item_id=956) and they have not changed since then (because neither has the evidence base).

3. The full minutes of all the evidence-gathering sessions from the FHF’s inquiry will be published in due course on their website. Meanwhile, the short and simplified written statement I sent in advance can be found at http://www.fabresearch.org/view_item.aspx?item_id=1101

4. Re Professor Puri and this latest nonsense. The FAB Research website reluctantly covered this ‘non-story’ on March 14th (see http://www.fabresearch.org/view_item.aspx?item_id=1095 ) and even pointed readers to Bad Science while trying to help them see why this was pure hype. The charity’s usual policy is simply to ignore trashy, non-scientific ‘news’ articles of this kind – but after Monday morning was wasted by endless interruptions from people wanting my urgent comments on this ‘study’, it became simpler to just put something up there.

5. Yes – I have published some work in the past with Dr Puri (as he was then), but I have not worked with him for more than 5 years, and certainly do not endorse the sort of nonsense reported in connection with his latest brain imaging study – as he well knows.

Ben – please would you be so kind as to alert me personally in future (you have my email) if any of your correspondents are going to have yet another go at tarnishing my good name? Excellent as your columns usually are, I really don’t have the time to read all the ensuing commentary each and every week. Some of us are still trying to get some serious research done.

“and Founder Director of FAB Research … http://www.fabresearch.org/ ” – “Food And Behaviour” apparently.

Weds has come and Weds has gone.

We’re waiting cha cha cha
We’re waiting cha cha cha
We’re waiting cha cha cha
We’re waiting cha cha cha
We’re waiting cha cha cha

I particularly like Dr Fisher’s case notes.

An item on You & Yours yesterday. Not the whole story, I’m sure, but you can admire Dr Puri’s ability to back-pedal (or peddle ) with the statements his “representative” quotes from him!

Would it not have been better for him to provide the original research test findings which must surely, to get approvals, have been carried out in a much more controlled fashion?

Or is this another of those “supplements” that anybody can market without getting drug approvals?

Apologies for continuing the off-topic conversation.

Richardson AJ, Cyhlarova E, Puri BK. Clinical and biochemical fatty acid abnormalities in dyslexia, dyspraxia, and schizotypy: an overview. In Glen AIM, Peet M, Horrobin DF. (eds.) Phospholipid Spectrum Disorder in Psychiatry and Neurology. Carnforth: Marius Press; 2003: 477-90.

Puri BK and Richardson AJ. Long-term follow-up of a single patient with schizophrenia treated with ethyl-EPA alone. Phospholipid Spectrum Disorder in Psychiatry and Neurology. Carnforth: Marius Press; 2003: 377-89.

Puri BK and Richardson AJ. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the assessment of brain phospholipids metabolism in dyslexia. Phospholipid Spectrum Disorder in Psychiatry and Neurology. Carnforth: Marius Press; 2003: 501-8.

And #11: an argument is presented at http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,,2025671,00.html that railway safety culture currently is defective, still, since privatisation. On the other hand, one person died last month in a railway accident, and presumably several other people on the same day in cars – around 9 or 10, I think. Then again, the latest accident at Grayrigg was said to have had its impact reduced by the bravery of the driver staying at his post and by the greater safety of modern train carriage design. That’s not a matter of privatisation except insofar as private money paid for new rolling stock. If “rolling stock” is not one of those specific terms that laypeople never use correctly, just like “food chain”.