Over 13 seasons of “The Dr. Oz Show,” from 2009 to 2022, [Mehmet Oz] told viewers what to eat, how to exercise, what supplements to take and when to worry about symptoms.
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Much of Dr. Oz’s advice is rooted in strong science and conventional wisdom: Eat well, move more, prioritize sleep. But he has also frequently pushed products and hacks that have little to no scientific evidence showing that they stave off disease, drawing scrutiny from members of Congress and from researchers. In some cases, he has had financial ties to the products he has promoted.
The Claim: Fish Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements Are Good for Your Heart
[M]any people without heart disease take fish oil pills to prevent it, but reviews of studies on fish oil have not found these supplements prevent cardiovascular issues, said Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who studies supplements.
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The Claim: Supplements Work for Weight Loss
Pine nuts, apple cider vinegar, “teatoxing,” supplements containing green-coffee-bean extract, raspberry ketones: The list of weight loss hacks Dr. Oz has promoted on his show over the years goes on. … [B]ut there is no rigorous research that supports weight loss supplements, Dr. Cohen said ….
The Claim: Probiotics Are Good for Gut Health
Dr. Oz has talked about the perks of probiotics — live microorganisms sometimes known as “good bacteria” — including improving gut health ….
[B]ut there is no consensus on whether a generic probiotic pill helps healthy people, said Justin L. Sonnenburg, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. The contents of these supplements can also vary. And because everyone has a different gut microbiome, people’s reactions to specific probiotics are hard to predict, he said.
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The Claim: Poor Sleep Raises Cancer Risk
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America is facing a “sleep crisis,” according to Dr. Oz. He has said that inadequate sleep can increase your risk of cancer, lead to high blood pressure and make it hard to lose weight.
“Sleep is beneficial for your health, but the body of evidence on sleep duration and cancer is not consistent,” said Trang VoPham, an epidemiologist at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Washington….
