Dr. Oz's Most Controversial Health Advice

The following article contains material about conversion therapy and weight loss.

Mehmet Cengiz Oz, more commonly known as Dr. Oz, is a Turkish-American doctor, author, and television personality, per Britannica. He's best known for his talk show "The Dr. Oz Show" and his "You" series of health and wellness books. Oz was raised in Delaware by his parents, both Turkish immigrants. His father was a surgeon, and according to a profile of Oz in The New Yorker, inspired Oz's career in medicine. Oz's Turkish heritage was very important to his family, and to him. They often traveled to Turkey, and Oz even served in the Turkish military so he could maintain dual citizenship. His time in Turkey also shaped his medical career. There, he was introduced to many of the holistic approaches to health that later became his hallmarks. 

Oz graduated from Harvard University and went on to receive his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He pursued a double major and received his M.B.A. at the same as his M.D. Oz went on to the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center for his medical and surgical residencies, and eventually became a surgical resident there. Oz first started experimenting with alternative medicine during his time at Columbia-Presbyterian. He began incorporating practices like reiki, acupuncture, and meditation into his treatment plans and gathering evidence as to their efficacy. Outside the operating room, Oz penned several health and wellness books aimed at integrating holistic practices into everyday life. He also gained a reputation for giving health and wellness advice that wasn't backed by scientific evidence, making some of his advice quite controversial. 

The ostentatious language and questionable claims Oz became famous for got him in trouble in 2014, per Politico. He was called in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection to testify about false advertising in the weight loss industry. The members of the Senate subcommittee questioned him about claims he'd made about diet and weight loss supplements on "The Dr. Oz Show," calling him out for using words like "miraculous" and "magic" to describe the results of featured supplements. They focused heavily on the fact that Oz did not use scientific research to back up his claims.

Oz defended himself by presenting studies that he claimed supported his statements. He insisted that his sensational language was just a part of showbiz, and also pointed out that he never sold any of the supplements he featured on his show, proving that his statements were not profit-driven. Matthew Eisenberg, an expert on health economics and policy, told Politico that Oz is very careful and intentional about how he talks on his show and in public settings like the hearings. He's very good at crafting a message that pulls in consumers and audiences while not actually saying anything outright false. Eisenberg emphasized that this is a common tactic in the diet and weight loss industry.

Oz continues to make headlines to this day for many of his outrageous claims. Let's review some of the most controversial pieces of health advice the doctor and TV personality has made over the years.

In a May 2012 episode of "The Dr. Oz Show," Oz did a segment about a study that supposedly showed that supplements made with green coffee bean extract helped people lose weight. He featured an interview with Lindsey Duncan, a naturopath and nutritionist. However, two years later, the researchers behind the study Oz based the segment on openly admitted that they couldn't verify the data, so they voluntarily retracted it. An FTC investigation found that some of the data had been manipulated. This investigation also led to the Senate subcommittee hearings in which Dr. Oz defended his endorsement of the supplement and the other medical claims he makes on his show.

The FTC investigation also uncovered some interesting information about Oz's guest, Lindsey Duncan. According to Vox, the investigation found that he had no degrees in naturopathic medicine or nutrition. Additionally, he had no knowledge of green coffee bean extract before appearing on "The Dr. Oz Show." In fact, his company started purchasing green coffee bean supplements after he received the request to appear on the show. They also put up websites specifically for selling the supplement and bought Google advertising related to searches for green coffee bean supplements. Essentially, Duncan pretended to be an expert on the supplement in order to profit from the sales that would result from Oz promoting it on his show. The entire green coffee bean extract fiasco turned out to be a scam.

In November of 2012, Dr. Oz did an episode about LGBTQ+ conversion therapy. According to the Human Rights Campaign, conversion therapy, sometimes called "reparative therapy," is a collection of counseling practices that claims to teach people who are uncomfortable with their sexuality or gender identity how to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. It's rooted in the belief that being LGBTQ+ is abnormal and can be "cured." A study on the practice conducted by the UCLA School of Law found that conversion therapy has been discredited by almost every major psychiatric association in the country.

Dr. Oz interviewed a therapist from National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) who supported conversion therapy. He also interviewed public figures, therapists, and representatives from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups who opposed the practice. In a blog post published the same day, Oz wrote that he felt it was important to "present multiple perspectives" in order to "reach everyone who might benefit from understanding the risks of this therapy." He also stated that he did not support the practice.

A joint statement from The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and PFLAG issued the same day condemned Dr. Oz for giving NARTH a public platform to present its ideas. The letter emphasized that conversion therapy had been discredited, and admonished Oz for not challenging the organization's perspective. The LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations insisted that conversion therapy was not a topic for which both sides should be presented as equally valid. After the controversial episode, Oz didn't discuss conversion therapy further. The only clips about the subject on his site are from that episode.

During a September 2011 episode of "The Dr. Oz Show," Oz presented a segment in which he claimed that popular brands of apple juice contained unsafe levels of arsenic (via ABC News). He said his assertions were based on tests performed by an independent laboratory hired by his team. The segment instigated backlash from not only apple juice manufacturers, but also from those within the medical and scientific communities. During an ABC News segment, the network's health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser accused Dr. Oz of making "extremely irresponsible" claims. Oz fired back that he wasn't "fearmongering" and said that his team had done their due diligence before he aired the claims.

The FDA also called Oz's claims "irresponsible and misleading" in a public statement and criticized the validity of Dr. Oz's data. Dr. Henry Miller, the founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology, told ABC News that the presence of a toxic compound doesn't mean a food product is harmful. He called Oz's claims "irresponsible alarmism." In fact, the FDA has known for years that apple juice contains arsenic, but there isn't enough present to cause harm.

However, in this case Oz was vindicated just a few months later when a study performed by Consumer Reports found that there actually were high levels of arsenic in some apple juice brands, The Atlantic reported. That report urged the FDA to change the acceptable levels of arsenic in apple juice.

Dr. Oz got on the FDA's bad side again in 2014 when he did a segment in which he claimed that flu vaccines contain the toxic compound mercury. Oz interviewed vaccine skeptics Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Mark Hyman about their book "Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak," in which they claimed that the flu vaccines have dangerous levels of the mercury-based compound thimerosal. Both doctors said that the American public should be careful about getting vaccines that contain thimerosal, as it could be dangerous for their health.

The FDA responded quickly, issuing a statement in which they explained that many flu vaccines do have thimerosal in them because it's a preservative. It helps to ensure that the vaccine doesn't spoil in storage. The statement emphasized that the kind of thimerosal in vaccines is vastly different from the mercury found in certain kinds of seafood, which can be harmful. Additionally, the organization stressed that the amount of thimerosal in the vaccines is so small that it cannot cause harm.

The CDC had something to say about the claims as well — Oz posted their responses on his blog. The CDC echoed the information in the FDA statement, adding that thimerosal is used as a preservative in several vaccines, not just the flu vaccine, and that extensive safety testing was done all on these vaccines. Despite this controversial segment, to his credit, Dr. Oz has been a vocal proponent of getting a flu shot for many years (via OZ).

The original HCG diet is a weight loss plan that requires injections of a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin that's produced during pregnancy, and the consumption of 500 calories a day. Dr. Oz first promoted the diet in a 2011 episode of "The Dr. Oz Show."

In an interview with ABC News, Dr. David Katz, a public health expert, said that the HCG diet "takes irresponsible diets to new heights." The Chicago Tribune pointed out that the HCG diet was discredited in the 1970s. The article then outlined the dangers of ultra low calorie diets. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told The Chicago Tribune that the HCG diet is essentially "starving yourself." Despite this controversy, Dr. Oz continued to promote the HCG diet. In a 2012 episode, he presented a new study by Sheri L. Emma, who created her own HCG diet protocol. While both she and Dr. Oz withdrew their support for a 500-calorie diet, saying it was unsafe and unsustainable, Emma's new protocol still included severe calorie restriction.

The FDA has taken a hardline stance on the HCG diet. Their website states that HCG is not approved for weight loss and that the HCG diet is dangerous. It also says that there is absolutely no evidence that the HCG diet works for weight loss and that ultra low calorie diets, like the HGC diet are harmful and ineffective. 

Dr. Oz talks about Alzheimer's disease a lot on his show (via OZ). He also has personal experience with the disease: His mother has the disease, and he's honest about the fact that he missed the warning signs, even as a celebrated doctor (via OZ). So, he's passionate about giving his viewers the information they need to prevent Alzheimer's and recognize the signs.

Oz frequently recommends taking a DHA supplement as a way to prevent Alzheimer's. However, this recommendation isn't really backed by science. The research into DHA supplementation and Alzheimer's prevention or reduction of symptoms is extensive, but so far, the results are inconclusive. Some studies have shown that DHA can be helpful in preventing Alzheimer's (via The Journal of Nutrition). Other studies have found that DHA is not effective at preventing Alzheimer's and that the supplement has little to no effect on cognitive decline (via HAL and JAMA). So, research hasn't yet provided any clear answers on DHA and Alzheimer's yet, and more studies needed before a solid recommendation can be made.