If you're one of those who like Dr. Oz and his show, then you're not alone. It's one of the most popular health-related programs on TV, with almost 3 million tuning in every time it appears.
But sorry, Dr. Oz fans, according to a new report published in the British Medical Journal, the charming cardiothoracic surgeon in scrub Dr. Mehmet Oz may be providing you with misleading health information.
A team of researchers from the University of Alberta with Christina Korownyk as the lead author watched 40 episodes of The Dr. Oz Show, which began airing in 2009 (it's already on its fifth season). From these episodes, they identified almost 500 medical claims and put them to the test.
Although 46% of his recommendations are backed by extensive research and science, the rest, well, are worth doubting. About 15% are flat-out wrong while almost 40% don't have any evidence to corroborate the claims.
The researchers then suggest that you better take it easy with regard to accepting the doctor's advice. In other words, be skeptical.
In an interview with The New Yorker, however, the famous TV doctor who also teaches in Columbia University said that medicine is usually just based on logic and that just because something isn't covered by medicine books doesn't have to mean it's not worth anything.
This isn't the first time that Dr. Oz came under fire for his many unconventional medical recommendations. Last June 2014, he faced the Senate for a hearing on consumer protection. Senator Claire McCaskill criticized his supposed endorsements of certain weight loss products, regardless whether these endorsements are deliberate or not. Meanwhile, two scientists who previously wrote a paid study on the effectiveness of pills with coffee beans for weight loss, a product Dr. Oz recommended, had to retract since they could not provide strong proof to their claims.
