Dr. Mehmet Oz made his first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004, launching
him into a career that's included both fame and infamy.
His partnership with Winfrey led him to launch The Dr. Oz Show on Oprah's network in 2009,
and now he's a household name — as well as a guy who seems to be constantly trying
to sell you untested miracle drugs.
Let's break down the double life of Dr. Oz.
Miracle drugs
"You may think magic is make believe, but this little bean has scientists saying they
found a magical weight loss cure for every body type.
It's green coffee beans."
Unfortunately, there are no magic pills — or beans — that will solve all of life's problems,
but Dr. Oz didn't get the memo.
Among the things that he's literally called "magic" weight loss solutions are Green Coffee
Extract, Raspberry Ketone, and Garcinia Cambogia.
For the record, there's no science to back up any of the claims he's made, and in fact,
studies have even indicated otherwise.
A 1998 study showed that Garcinia Cambogia didn't notably help participants lose weight.
A similar 2013 study proved the same for Green Coffee.
In fact, the Federal Trade Commission sued the company that makes Green Coffee Extract
in 2014.
Sorry, folks.
Good old-fashioned diet and exercise continue to be the only way to lose weight naturally.
Facing the Senate
After being accused of misleading his audience about weight-loss products, Dr. Oz was summoned
to face a Senate subcommittee in 2014, where he promptly began to backtrack on his claims.
While he never referred to his comments as outright lies, he did concede that his language
was a little strong, using words such as "miracle" and "magic" when referring to pills have no
proven effects.
He finally told the Senate,
"I'm in a situation where I am second guessing every word I use on the show right now.
I'm very respectful.
I've heard the message.
I told my colleagues at the FTC.
I get it."
Maybe he should just stick to discussing real issues, like the Great Shiny Legs Debate of
2016.
Web of lies
The British Medical Journal performed a study in 2014 examining claims made on Dr. Oz's
show and found that many of those claims on The Dr. Oz Show were not supported by evidence
or were in direct contradiction to scientific studies.
Doctors were only able to find legitimate evidence to support around 46 percent of the
recommendations on the show; 15 percent of Dr. Oz's claims were found to be in direct
contradiction to scientific evidence; and no evidence was found for the remaining 39
percent.
At this point, we're not even sure if we trust his bathroom cleaning hacks.
Fountain of youth
In addition to the allegations regarding numerous weight-loss products Dr. Oz has promoted,
he's also been accused of peddling eternal youth.
According to The Huffington Post, Dr. Oz touted red palm oil as the "miracle oil for longevity,"
saying,
"There's a secret inside the flesh of this fruit, extending the warranty of nearly every
organ in your body.
This mega-oil may very well be the most the most miraculous find of 2013."
He also claimed it could prevent dementia and Alzheimer's, despite there being no research
to support that claim.
A 2004 study even shows that an increased intake of saturated fats, like red palm oil,
could potentially lead to cognitive decline.
Not only are Dr. Oz's miracle cures possibly doing nothing, but that they might actually
be hurting people.
Cash cow
When Dr. Oz tells his millions of viewers to buy a product, they listen.
Science-Based Medicine calls this phenomenon the "Dr. Oz Effect," noting that when he promoted
green coffee bean extract on his show along with "naturopath" Lindsey Duncan, they directed
consumers to websites owned by Duncan.
Duncan reportedly sold $50 million worth of the supplement following the segment on The
Dr. Oz Show...and also then he was charged by the FTC, forcing him to refund $9 million
to customers.
Attempted exile
In 2015, Dr. Oz used his show to address a petition that questioned his professional
qualifications.
"You may have seen the headlines attacking me this past week after a brazen letter from
10 mysterious doctors, calling for my removal from Columbia University Medical School, where
I have proudly been on the faculty for almost 20 years."
The statement indicated that Dr. Oz actively endangers the public, and read, in part,
"Dr. Oz has repeatedly shown disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine."
Columbia refused the request, saying it wouldn't remove Dr. Oz as vice chairman because the
school is, quote,
"...committed to the principle of academic freedom and to upholding faculty members'
freedom of expression for statements they make in public discussion."
Which is a polite way of saying, "we don't care."
It's "not a medical show"
Dr. Oz has responded to those who scrutinize the accuracy of this advice by saying that
The Dr. Oz Show is "not a medical show", and defended the title — which, let's not forget,
has the word "Doctor" on it — by giving a convoluted justification about the logo,
saying,
"We very purposely, on the logo, have 'Oz' as the middle, and the 'Doctor' is actually
up in the little bar for a reason.
I want folks to realize that I'm a doctor, and I'm coming into their lives to be supportive
of them.
But it's not a medical show."
While this should be obvious, considering he interviews people dressed as green beans.
Still, we'd expect him to use the word 'Doctor' a little more responsibly than, say, Dr. Dre
or Doc McStuffins or Doctor Pepper.
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