Earl Mindell

Earl Mindell

Earl Mindell in March 2009
Born (1940-01-20) 20 January 1940
St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada
Occupation Writer, Nutritionist
Spouse(s) Gail Andrea Jaffe

Earl Lawrence Mindell is a Canadian-American writer and nutritionist who is a strong advocate of nutrition as preventive medicine and homeopathy. Mindell left his role at FreeLife following a number of inaccurate statements regarding Goji (also known as wolfberry) juice.

Early life and education

Mindell was born to parents William and Minerva on January 20, 1940, in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada. He immigrated to the United States in 1965 and was naturalized in 1972. On May 16, 1971, Mindell married Gail Andrea Jaffe; they have two children.

Mindell received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from North Dakota State University in 1963. A number of years later, he earned a Master Herbalist Diploma from Dominion Herbal College in 1995. Mindell's Ph.D. was conferred in 1985 by Pacific Western University, an unaccredited institution.[1]

Relations with the scientific community

Mindell's theories on health and nutrition have been met with criticism in the scientific community. Mindell has previously promoted oral supplements of an "anti-aging" enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD). There is no evidence for the supposed benefits of SOD, and it is known that the enzyme would not survive the digestive process if taken orally.[2]

Mindell made several claims about the health benefits of wolfberry juice, commercially known as "Himalayan Goji Juice", while associated with a direct-selling company called FreeLife International Inc.[1] Mindell's claims regarding goji juice include supposed benefits for cancer patients based on evidence of cancer cell inhibition in vitro (i.e. in a dish).[3] In an interview with Wendy Mesley on the CBC consumer television program Marketplace (aired January 24, 2007), H. Leon Bradlow, coauthor of a study that Mindell cites as support for this anti-cancer claim,[3] says that his research does not, in fact, prove that goji has any anti-cancer properties and that there is no scientific evidence such effects occur in vivo (i.e., when consumed).[1] In addition, Bradlow's study was carried out at Hackensack University Medical Center, not Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as Mindell had claimed.[1] When faced with this information, Mindell stated in the same interview that he will stop citing the study.[1] Mesley then went on to confront Mindell about the validity of his Ph.D from Pacific Western University and Mindell asserted that his degree is "accredited in every state in the Union".[1][4] Mindell and his FreeLife organization were the targets of a 2009 class-action suit which claimed that the company and its spokespersons "misrepresent[ed] the value and health benefits of Himalayan Goji Juice, GoChi, and TAIslim".[5]

Selected bibliography

In total, Mindell has published over 50 books. His most notable publication, Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible, is a glossary of micronutrients published in 1979 and has been updated and re-released multiple times since. It was panned by James A. Lowell in 1986, in a review reprinted by Quackwatch.[6] An incomplete list of his books is available below.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Getting Juiced". CBC Marketplace. January 27, 2007. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  2. ↑ Schwarcz, Joe (2006-08-19). "Beware of Juices That Claim to Cure". The Montreal Gazette. CanWest MediaWorks Publication Inc.: J11. (subscription required (help)).
  3. 1 2 Li G, Sepkovic DW, Bradlow HL, Telang NT, Wong GY (2009). "Lycium barbarum inhibits growth of estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer cells by favorably altering estradiol metabolism.". Nutr Canc. 61 (3): 408–414. doi:10.1080/01635580802585952. PMID 19373615.
  4. ↑ GojiJuiceNewsCenter.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-21. Link to page as it appeared on 2007-05-03 at the Wayback Machine (archived May 3, 2007).
  5. ↑ Barrett, Stephen (September 2009). "Class-Action Suit Filed against FreeLife and Earl Mindel". MLMWatch.org. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ Lowell, James A. (June 1986). "An Irreverent Look at the Vitamin Bible and Its Author (Earl Mindell)". Nutrition Forum.
  7. ↑ "WorldCat.org". Retrieved 2007-03-21.
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