Matthias Rath
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Matthias Rath, M.D. (born 1955 in Stuttgart, Germany) is a controversial German physician and vitamin entrepreneur.
Dr. Rath studied medicine in Germany and subsequently worked as a scientist at the university hospital in Hamburg and the German Cardiac Center in Berlin. He was the head of Cardiovascular Research at the Linus Pauling Institute in Palo Alto, USA.[1] Currently, he markets a proprietary blend of herbs and vitamins as an alternative to proven antiretroviral treatment for HIV in South Africa.
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[edit] Claimed discoveries
Rath has made numerous comparative studies of humans and animals and claims to have discovered that animals who can synthesise vitamin C naturally do not suffer heart attacks. Humans do not have this ability, thus need to obtain the vitamin C from a balanced diet. Rath advocates increased intake of vitamin C to prevent atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke. He argues that vitamin C deficiency in Western diets causes microscopic lesions in the artery walls, which instead of being repaired are filled up with fats which later harden through dystrophic calcification, leading to typical symptoms of high blood pressure (reduced artery wall elasticity) and heart disease complications.
[edit] Controversy
Rath's research remains controversial among medical circles by virtue of the fact that he profits directly by selling a patented brand of micronutrients, because he advocates his proprietary mixture as an alternative to proven medical therapies, because of the unreproducability of his research, and because of his anti-pharmaceutical industry position. He claims the pharmaceutical industry tries to address symptoms rather than the causes of heart disease, which he believes can be cheaply remedied by improving dietary intake.
Franc Ulrich Montgomery (chairman of the Marburger Federation, roughly translated as Federation of German Physicians) and Michael Bamberg (executive of the German Cancer Foundation) have demanded legal procedures against Dr Rath following the death of a child (Dominik Feld) suffering bone cancer which metastisised to the lungs. The child's parents, prior to his death, had taken their son off chemotherapy treatment and put him under Dr Rath's nutritional supplement therapy.
In the July 22, 2006 issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ), a news item was published reporting that Dr. Rath had gone on trial in Hamburg, Germany "for fraud" in relation to the death of Dominik Feld. However, the BMJ subsequently retracted the news item "on legal advice" and issued an apology to Dr. Rath, stating that the BMJ accepted that "the allegations we published were without foundation."
Dr Rath's treatments do not have verifiable source as to his therapeutic claims made outside a limited range of practitioners. The role of nutrition is not clear as to whether it is either a preventive factor or definitely a curative therapy with a verifiable track record of success/effectiveness with sufferers, especially in advance stages and or terminally ill patients.
[edit] Other claimed discoveries and beliefs
Rath has also claimed discoveries on the role of lysine and the propagation of cancer cells (see links below). He alleges that lysine has been found to block the enzymes secreted by cancer cells that dissolve connective tissue (collagen) which stops their spread (metastasis).
Rath is also an AIDS dissident. Reuters.
[edit] Independent studies of efficacy
In 2004, the Swiss Study Group for Complementary and Alternative Methods in Cancer (SKAK), an independent group which evaluates alternative medical treatments, examined Dr. Rath's vitamin preparations and the marketing claims made by Dr. Rath.[2] The Study Group reported that they "found no proof that the vitamin preparations of Dr. Matthias Rath have any effect on human cancer" and "advise against their use in cancer prevention and treatment while recommending a diet rich in fruit and vegetables."[2] Specifically, the Swiss Study Group report criticized Rath for:
- Making sweeping, unsubstantiated claims of efficacy. Rath has claimed that his vitamin treatments can cure all forms of cancer, as well as most infectious diseases, including AIDS.[3][4] However, Rath covers himself at the end of his advertising brochure by noting that sometimes, especially in cases of advanced illness, even his treatments cannot fully restore health.[4]
- Citing anecdotal reports of success which could not be confirmed. In the case of one patient allegedly "cured" by Rath's methods, the Study Group found that "it is not even certain from a medical perspective if cancer was present."
- Using a self-developed test of efficacy, rather than using widely accepted and verified tests and endpoints.
The conclusion of the Swiss Study Group regarding Dr. Rath's vitamin formulations was:
| A cancer-curing effect has not been documented for any of these substances. Nor is there any proof that the preparations sold by Matthias Rath, some with high dosages, are useful in cancer prevention – leave alone curing cancer. Rath still owes proof regarding the correctness of his claims. Proof of effect cannot be provided by analogy with in vitro, animal or cell experiments. Because there is no proof for effect nor for the harmlessness of the preparations, SKAK advises against their use.[2] |
[edit] Legal judgements against Dr. Rath
A number of successful court cases have been brought against Dr. Rath for violating advertising standards, defaming his critics, and making false allegations about pharmaceutical firms.
- In 2000, the Court of Almelo in the Netherlands ordered Rath to stop making unfounded, false, and defamatory statements about the Dutch pharmaceutical company Numico.[5]
- In 2002, the British Advertising Standards Association found that advertisements by Rath contained a series of misleading and false claims and ordered the claims removed.[6]
- In 2002, the United States Food and Drug Administration notified Dr. Rath that he was promoting his supplements in a manner that violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, by making claims of efficacy without undergoing the appropriate scientific and regulatory review.[7]
- In 2005, the Advertising Standards Association of South Africa (ASASA) issued three separate rulings against Dr. Rath, finding that he had made false and misleading claims regarding the effectiveness of his supplements and ordering him to immediately withdraw the inappropriate advertisements. Rath disregarded the ruling and continued the misleading advertisements, leading the ASASA to rule that, "in light of the gravity of [Rath's] breeches", he was required to submit all further advertising to the ASASA for prior approval.[8]
- In 2006, the High Court of South Africa found that Dr. Rath had defamed the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), an AIDS non-profit organization, by publicly making false and misleading statements about the TAC. Rath was ordered to cease his defamatory remarks "to ensure that the TAC's continued participation in the debate is not hamstrung by defamatory and unfounded allegations."[9]
[edit] Criticism
Dr. Rath and the Rath Foundation have often been criticized for misusing or misrepresenting the published medical literature in order to further the sale of their multivitamin product.
[edit] Alleged misuse of Harvard multivitamin study
To support the sale of his proprietary multivitamin combination, Dr. Rath has repeatedly cited a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, published in the New England Journal of Medicine,[10] suggesting that multivitamin supplementation slows the progression of HIV to AIDS.[11]
However, in May 2005, the authors of the study released a statement condeming Rath's "irresponsible and misleading statements, as in our view they deliberately misinterpret findings from our studies to advocate against the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy."[12] The study authors felt that Dr. Rath had misused their study results to argue that multivitamins (in particular, Rath's proprietary blend) should be used in place of antiretroviral medication. In their statement, the study authors affirmed the central role of antiretroviral medication in the treatment of AIDS, and indicated that multivitamins should be, at most, a supplementary treatment.[12]
[edit] Use of published medical literature
A peer-reviewed article published in the British Medical Journal in 1998 examined some of the claims made by Dr. Rath and Health Now in support of Rath's multivitamin supplement blend.[13] The authors found that Rath listed 40 citations to support his product; however, on examination, only 8 of these citations were of actual clinical trials. After examining these clinical trials, the authors concluded that despite Rath's claims to the contrary, "no general clinical benefit of vitamins C and E and carotene can be proved from the works cited by Health Now."[13]
[edit] References
- ^ Swiss cancer centre Brief biography of Dr. Rath. as pdf - Accessed June 2006
- ^ a b c Report from the Swiss Study Group on Complementary and Alternative Methods in Cancer, stating that there is no evidence that Rath's treatments are effective. Accessed 21 Sept 2006.
- ^ Rath, M.: Durchbruch der Zellforschung im Kampf gegen den Krebs. 3d ed. 2002, MR Publishing B.V., Almelo, NL
- ^ a b Rath, M.: Cellular health Series – Cancer. 2/2001, MR Publishing, Sta. Clara, CA 95054
- ^ Press release describing Dutch court decision against Dr. Rath for defamation, accessed 19 Sept 2006.
- ^ Ruling by the British Advertising Standards Association against Matthias Rath for false and misleading advertising, accessed 19 Sept 2006.
- ^ Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning Dr. Rath that his marketing campaign is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Accessed 19 Sept 2006.
- ^ Rulings against Matthias Rath for false and misleading advertising by the Advertising Standards Association of South Africa, accessed 19 Sept 2006.
- ^ Judgement of the High Court of South Africa ordering Dr. Rath to cease making defamatory and unfounded allegations against the Treatment Action Campaign. Accessed 19 Sept 2006.
- ^ Fawzi W, Msamanga G, Spiegelman D, Wei R, Kapiga S, Villamor E, Mwakagile D, Mugusi F, Hertzmark E, Essex M, Hunter D (2004). "A randomized trial of multivitamin supplements and HIV disease progression and mortality.". N Engl J Med 351 (1): 23-32. PMID 15229304.
- ^ Dr. Rath's website, citing the New England Journal of Medicine study among others. Accessed 20 Sept 2006.
- ^ a b Statement from the authors of the Harvard School of Public Health study, stating that Dr. Rath has misused their study results. Accessed 20 Sept 2006.
- ^ a b Tröger U, Meyer F (1998). "Validity of advertising claims for multivitamin preparation Vitacor 20/90 on the internet.". BMJ 317 (7165): 1069-71. PMID 9774300. - article also available online in its entirety.
[edit] External links
- Skeptic's Dictionary: Matthias Rath
- Dr. Rath Research Institute
- Dr. Rath Foundation
- Treatment Action Campaign site on Rath Foundation, critical of Rath's activities; includes court documents from defamation case. Accessed 17 Sept 2006.
