Health
Real-World Doctors Fact-Check Dr. Oz, and the Results Aren’t Pretty
This June 13, 2012 file photo shows television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz during a photocall at the 2012 Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)
(Los Angeles Times) – What do real-world doctors have to say about the advice dispensed on “The Dr. Oz Show”? Less than one-third of it can be backed up by even modest medical evidence.
If that sounds alarming, consider this: Nearly 4 in 10 of the assertions made on the hit show appear to be made on the basis of no evidence at all.
The researchers who took it upon themselves to fact-check Dr. Oz and his on-air guests were able to find legitimate studies related to another 11% of the recommendations made on the show. However, in these cases, the recommendations ran counter to the medical literature.
“Consumers should be skeptical about any recommendations provided on television medical talk shows,” the researchers wrote in a study published this week in BMJ. “Viewers need to realize that the recommendations may not be supported by higher evidence or presented with enough balanced information to adequately inform decision making.”
