Richard A. Passwater

[[File:Richard A. Passwater.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Passwater]]
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'''Richard A. Passwater''' {{lived|1937|2022}} was an [[American]] [[conspiracy theorist]], [[naturopath]] [[quack]], [[cholesterol denialist]], [[vitamin woo]] advocate and opponent of [[water fluoridation]]. Passwater is said to have authored 45 books and 600 articles.<ref name="Obituary">https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/6245-remembering-dr-richard-passwater-natural-products-industry-pioneer</ref>

==Background==

Passwater obtained his PhD from Bernadean University, a mail-order [[diploma mill]], which is [[Academic accreditation|unaccredited]] and so its degrees have no real meaning.<ref>https://quackwatch.org/consumer-education/nonrecorg/bernadean/</ref><ref>https://centerforinquiry.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/quackwatch/health_robbers.pdf</ref> Passwater did have a bachelor of science degree from the University of Delaware and did work as an industrial chemist.<ref name=obit>[https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/136/table-of-contents/hg136-obit-passwater/ Richard Albert Passwater: 1937–2022] by Maggie Jaqua (2022) ''HerbalGram, American Botanical Council'' 76(136).</ref>

==Woo==

===Megavitamin therapy===

His 1975 book ''Supernutrition: Megavitamin Revolution''<ref name=supernutrition>''Supernutrition: Megavitamin Revolution'' by Richard A. Passwater (1976) Pocket Books. ISBN 067180586X.</ref> was an early book to popularize [[megavitamin therapy]].<ref>https://isom.ca/profile/richard-passwater/</ref> He wrote articles for ''WholeFoods Magazine''{{efn|WholeFoods Magazine has no connection to Whole Foods Market.}} and was its editor for 36 years.<ref name="Obituary"/> He wrote ''Pycnogenol: The Super Protector Nutrient'' in 1994 and ''Pycnogenol for Superior Health'' in 2001 recommending the use of Pycnogenol supplements to reduce cancer, heart disease and stroke risk. Pycnogenol is an extract from the bark of the ''Pinus pinaster'', it is not a nutrient. Pine bark is a rich source of polyphenols, including proanthocyanidins which have antioxidant capacity.<ref>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11996210/</ref> However, there is no clinical evidence that Pycnogenol supplements can reduce all the diseases Passwater listed in his books.<ref>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32990945/</ref>

Passwater also advocated high-dose [[selenium supplement]]s (200 µg/day) to reduce [[cancer]] risk.<ref>https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/8599-what-s-behind-the-increased-interest-in-selenium-research</ref><ref>https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/8607-taking-the-confusion-out-of-selenium</ref> As of 2023 there is no evidence that selenium supplements reduce the risk of cancer. A Cochrane review of [[randomized controlled trial]]s found that "well‐designed and well‐conducted RCTs have shown no beneficial effect of selenium supplements in reducing cancer risk (high certainty of evidence). Some RCTs have raised concerns by reporting a higher incidence of high‐grade prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes in participants with selenium supplementation."<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6491296/</ref> There is evidence that high-dose selenium supplementation (above 140 µg/day) actually ''increases'' the risk of prostate cancer.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4296194 Selenium Supplementation and Prostate Cancer Mortality] by Stacey A. Kenfield et al. (2015) ''J. Natl. Cancer Inst.'' 107(1):dju360. doi:10.1093/jnci/dju360.</ref> Passwater's article "Selenium Against Viruses" was copied to the conspiracy website [[Whale.to]].<ref>http://www.whale.to/m/selenium.html</ref>

He was inducted into the [[Orthomolecular Medicine]] Hall of Fame in 2021 by the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine which says a lot about his advocacy of [[pseudoscience]].<ref name=obit/>

[[Quackwatch]] have listed Passwater's ''Cancer and Its Nutritional Therapies'' on their list of Nonrecommended Books.<ref>https://quackwatch.org/about/altseek/</ref>

===Water fluoridation===

Passwater was a staunch opponent of [[water fluoridation]] which he claimed lowers children's [[IQ]],<ref>https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/8668-recent-us-government-funded-studies-link-fluoride-exposure-to-iq-loss</ref> when in reality such studies have been criticized for containing methodological flaws and are barely [[Statistical significance|statistically significant]].<ref>https://www.science.org/content/article/drinking-fluoridated-water-during-pregnancy-may-lower-iq-sons-controversial-study-says</ref>

==Notes==
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==References==
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[[Category:Alternative medicine promoters]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Cholesterol and statin denialists]]
[[Category:Megavitamin therapy promoters]]
[[Category:Water fluoridation]]

Categories: Alternative medicine promoters, Authors, Cholesterol and statin denialists, Megavitamin therapy promoters, Water fluoridation