Dr. Oz Show and Weght Loss Diets: Celebrity Doctor Admits to Making Unreasonably Optimistic Claims
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a celebrity doctor whose specialty is cardiothoracic surgery, faced the consumer protection panel of the Senate last Tuesday, as reported by Boston.com.
Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., the panel's chairman, reprimanded Oz for making open-ended and unreasonably optimistic claims on his TV show regarding certain weight-loss aids. Oz agreed with her that there is no miracle pill out there which can replace exercise and good food choices.
Oz testified that he had never endorsed any specific brand and that any instance of his name or image associated with a specific brand was fraudulent.
At least one company that has used clips from his show to promote their product never paid him for the rights and has been sued for defrauding customers with false claims about the benefits of green coffee. Oz admitted to using "flowery language" about green coffee and other health supplements.
At the urging of Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Dr. Oz pledged to make a list of certain products that can help people reduce weight and stay healthy. Oz has always lauded a number of health supplements as a fat buster on his TV show but never has he supported certain brands or companies.
Oz was asked by McCaskill why he stated that green coffee bean extract can help any body type to lose weight on his show in 2012. McCaskill continued to say that she cannot understand why Oz had to say it when he knew all along that it was not factual.
Defending himself, Oz maintained that the supplements presented in his TV show are "short-term crutches" that had been tried by his family. His role, Oz said, is to cheer up his viewers by giving hope about losing weight and presenting evidence to support the claims regardless of whether it was through traditional healing alternatives.
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