Dr. Oz: Misleading people for decades
Mehmet Oz sacrificed his medical career for fame and fortune.
Oy, this is a doozy.
When tackling the “debunk” of Mehmet Oz, former cardiac surgeon and current TV personality and Republican candidate for Senate in PA, we wanted to focus solely on the science - or lack thereof, in the misleading claims he’s made and the products he’s peddled over several decades in the public eye.
There is just so much, so we wanted this to be comprehensive, but also not overwhelming.
Let’s start from the beginning. Oz always had a history of pursuing ‘alternative practices’, even from his early career days.
Here’s a brief overview of his career timeline:
1960-1985: From early childhood to his academic schooling, Dr. Oz was exposed to and studied nontraditional/alternative practices.
1986 -1994: Continued schooling at the UPenn and Columbia University, where he gained accolades for his research and work
1994: founded the “Cardiac Complementary Care Center at Columbia Presbyterian” to study diet, meditation, and hypnosis.
2000: The care center transitions into the “Cardiovascular Institute at Columbia University”
2004: Oz makes an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show and is referred to as “America’s Doctor”
Note: this phase of his career is really the beginning of where he starts to divert from a reasonably reputable cardiac surgeon firmly into the world of pseudoscience and misinformation.
2009: Launches the Dr. Oz show
2011: Suggests kids are being poisoned by arsenic in apple juice on his show. Promotes homeopathy on show.
2012: Promotes products such as raspberry ketones for “targeted fat burning” without exercise
2012: Endorses Garcinia Cambogia as a solution to bust body fat, but there is no evidence to suggest this. Endorses green coffee bean supplements.
Note: The green coffee bean extract promotion actually led to Oz having to testify to the Senate in 2014 (more on that in a bit)
2014: Launches the Good Life Magazine. The same year he testifies to the Senate about his work promoting supplements that have no scientific evidence behind them. A study in BMJ found that over half of the claims he’s made on his show are wrong and are not based on any credible data.
2020 - 2022: makes false claims about COVID-19, hydroxychloroquine, masks, and more. Becomes a frequent guest on FOX and his Twitter account takes on a dramatically political tone.
2022: Launches his candidacy as a Republican for the PA Senate seat. He lives in Northern NJ.
So, who is Mehmet Oz?
Dr. Oz is a tv show personality and former Columbia University Professor. He has patents on several medical instruments used today. He is now a Republican candidate for Pennslyvania’s Senate seat.
He is currently listed as Oz, Mehmet C. (MD) Special Lecturer in the Department of Surgery, professor emeritus, but his profile is no longer on the CUMC website
https://news.yahoo.com/columbia-university-quietly-changes-mehmet-181552976.html
He no longer sees patients, according to a Columbia spokesperson, but it’s unclear how long he’s been retired from his clinical practice. Oz didn’t have the emeritus title as recently as last month, just after he launched his Senate campaign.
Throughout his career, friends and colleaguee noted that Oz’s interest in alternative practice started early in academic studies. He studied hypnosis, eastern medicine, acupuncture, and others. His extended family also has embraced these practices that are not founded in scientific data.
In 2015, a team of physicians wrote to Columbia University Medical School asking for Oz’s appointment be revoked. They stated that he has shown a pattern of disdain for evidence-based medicine and that his affiliation with a reputable organization is unacceptable. At the time, Columbia did nothing.
https://www.vox.com/2015/4/16/8423867/dr-oz-letter-columbia
Unfortunately, with an average of 4 million viewers of each of his TV show episodes, his reach is quite large. That’s of course been exacerbated during the pandemic as he’s become an outspoken voice on Twitter, social media, and FOX. The enthusiasm surrounding him and the products he promotes on his show is called “the Oz Effect.”
Viewers of his show take his words to heart and believe Dr. Oz to be their own primary care physician. Everything he promotes on his show is heavily researched online afterward, demonstrating that his viewers are adamantly heeding his words on the show.
Many scientists and physicians have expressed concern that “...negative health outcomes could occur if media sources are influencing patients to take unproven products, quit effective medications or undergo unsanctioned procedures…” as a result of his unsupported recommendations.
As an example: Sales and online searches for Neti pots, the nasal irrigation system, rose by 12,000 percent and 42,000 percent respectively, after he promoted them on his show in 2007.
The British Medical Journal released a study on the different claims Dr. Oz touted on his show. More than half of his content was not based on any evidence-based science or contradicted his own previous claims. (https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7346)
Here are some key examples:
Pushed hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19, even though there is no evidence to support this.
Touted the drug to help treat those with COVID-19.
Cites French Doctors “case study” as his evidence, which was was not peer-reviewed by any scientific or medical journal and was posted to Youtube
Promoted Garcinia cambogia extract first during the 2012 holiday season.
Called this the “newest, fastest fat burner” and told his viewers you could burn fat without dieting or exercising
Even then, there were NO data to support this. A 1998 study randomized controlled trial evaluated this supplement and found no benefit for weight loss or appetite suppressant or emotional eating (all claims he made) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1881470
Claimed zinc supplementation can reduce hunger and promote weight loss by increasing leptin levels which can subsequently act as an appetite suppressant. He told viewers to take 12-15 mg of zinc a day.
Numerous randomized controlled trials have demonstrated there are no data to support this claim
Zinc supplements did not cause significant changes in weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, or waist circumference. Leptin didn’t increase either, and one study suggested zinc may even lower leptin levels
References re Zinc/Leptin/Weight loss: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17028377/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3395787/
Touted Raspberry Ketones in 2012, which he called a “miracle in a bottle to burn your fat”
Several studies have shown that there is a lack of evidence of its fat-burning qualities. There have been no clinical studies to demonstrate this claim.
Claims astrological signs affect our health
This is a pseudoscience-based thought and has no basis in ant evidence whatsoever
Green Coffee Bean Extract
Promoted on his show as a cure-all for body fat in 2012, where he cited a flawed study on the extract.
As a result, the Federal Trade Commission brought the lawsuit on a company that used the study to support the extract (https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2015/01/marketer-who-promoted-green-coffee-bean-weight-loss-supplement-agrees-settle-ftc-charges)
Dr. Oz testified before Congress regarding the extract ad his advertisement of the product. There he conceded that he used “flowery language” to promote these products.
There is no evidence that green coffee bean supplements help “burn fat” or lose weight".
Aspirin supplements
He has recommended everyone take 2 baby aspirin daily before bed
For people at high risk for coronary heart disease, this could be recommended
For healthy people, older people, people on anti-coagulants, etc., this can be dangerous. It can lead to bleeding ulcers, and other dangerous side effects
This type of blanket recommendation is completely medically irresponsible and should never be promoted.
References: https://www.ahrq.gov/prevention/guidelines/index.html
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/do-you-need-daily-aspirin-for-some-it-does-more-harm-than-good/
Dr. Oz’s homeopathic starter kit
We’ve tackled homeopathy before, but these remedies do not have an evidence. They are essentially water or sugar pills.
Our post on homeopathy:
Our podcast episode on homeopathy (with show notes): https://www.unbiasedscipod.com/episodes/homeopathy-much-ado-about-nothing-literally-nothing
GMO labeling
Dr. Oz believed that countries need to warn people about GMOs, and has routinely questioned and undermined the safety and science behind GMOs. GMO products present the same level of risk as conventionally products, and many offer additional benefits.
Sowing mistrust of GMOs: https://slate.com/technology/2015/04/arctic-apple-safety-dr-oz-sows-seeds-of-mistrust-on-gmos.html
Our podcast episodes on genetic engineering and GMOs (with show notes/references): https://www.unbiasedscipod.com/episodes/damn-those-genes-look-good-on-you?rq=gmo, https://www.unbiasedscipod.com/episodes/hey-ho-gmo-myths-have-got-to-go?rq=gmo
Umckaloabo root extract
Claimed the extract can relieve cold symptoms and the flu. There is no reliable evidence to this effect.
Meta-analysis of Umckaloabo: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006323.pub3/full
A DIY teeth whitening claim made by Dr. Oz. While this might remove superficial remove plaque, it will not whiten teeth and can potentially damage the health of your teeth.
Oz praised Dr. Mosaraf Ali on Dr. Oz show for his work Iridology. Iridology is based on the believe that a person’s health and wellness can be identified through their iris. People are then treated with special minerals, vitamins, and herbs. There is no evidence to support this - this is patently pseudoscience.
Multivitamin supplements
Oz claimed that taking daily multivitamins would prevent heart disease, breast cancer, and colon cancer. Multiple randomized controlled trials have found that multivitamins do not prevent these various diseases.
Sources: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16880453/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21487086/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23255568/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3105257/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21987192/ (this cross-sectional study actually found an increased correlation between vitamin supplementation and risk of death in women)
It's been reported that Oz’s net worth is estimated to be about $100 Million. A large chunk of that comes from his TV show, books/ magazines, business ties, and investments. He’s also made millions of dollars from pharmaceutical companies.
In addition, he is a founder, board member, investor, or spokesperson for several different companies, all of which add to his worth/income.
Here is a comprehensive list:
Oz joined the board of PanTheryx Inc, a company that sells products made from the milky fluid released by cows after giving birth (colostrum)
Dr. Oz confounded billion-dollar firm Sharecare with WebMD’s Jeff Arnold
Co founded in 2009, it originally was used to get health questions answered and has evolved into an app that offers health advice and personalized programs
Owns about 5% of the company which is market capped at $1.5 Billion
Dr. Oz listed as “Trusted Partner” of multi-level marketing company Usana Health Sciences
Sells supplements, collagen powders, and skincare products
Products regularly featured on the Dr. Oz Show and sold on the website.
The partnership will remain until the end of the show
Dr. Oz partnered with homegoods company Maven to create mattresses, pillows, and more
Oz gets a cut of the revenue from products sold, which are available online and at Macys.
Jungo Tv has its own Dr. Oz Channel, OZTube.
This subscription-based channel features extended content from the “Dr. Oz Show”
Oz listed as co founder of SleepScore Labs, founded in 2016.
In 2019- Oz participated in a $1.85 million funding round, and he has also served on the board of directors.
Interestingly, for all the miracle cures he promotes and profits off of, Oz himself doesn’t rely on magic pills or quick fixes to maintain his health. He monitors his weight and exercises daily. It's almost as if... he knows those things don't work. According to a New York Times profile, his diet consists of berries, spinach, raw walnuts, and a dark green concoction of juices from cucumber and parsley. The Times journalist called it “the most efficient, joyless eating I have ever seen.
Having his own show, book, and magazine, has given him a public platform to misuse his authority and credentials to expand an ever-growing empire based on pseudoscience and falsehoods. His work misleading the public has altered the way medicine and health are viewed. Many are scrambling to find the next fad in diets, supplements, and alternative treatments, even when no data support their use.
Remember: even if someone has an advanced degree and speaks with authority, these individuals can have ulterior motives. In Oz’s case, his motives have always been clear: he values fame and fortune over credible science and medicine.
Link to Instagram post: