Onur Coban/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Dr. Mehmet Oz attends a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, July 2, 2019.
- Dr. Mehmet Oz, a television host and adviser to President Donald Trump, is one of the most well-known celebrity doctors in the country.
- But his health recommendations are not always supported by scientific evidence.
- Here are eight times Oz made false, baseless, or misleading scientific claims.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Among Dr. Mehmet Oz's achievements are ten Emmy awards, a syndicated television show, an Ivy-League medical degree, and a rapport with Donald Trump, who appeared on his show in 2016.
Oz is also one of President Trump's health advisers. Since 2018, he's served on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, Oz has been thrust into the spotlight once again, appearing frequently on programs like "Fox and Friends," one of Trump's favorite shows. A White House official told CNN that Trump is paying attention to Oz's recent TV appearances, where the doctor touts the use of hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19, even though the drug's potential effectiveness against the disease is unproven.
Though Oz has received some plaudits, he's controversial in the medical community. In a 2015 letter to Columbia University, where Oz is a professor, 10 doctors said he promoted "quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain." A 2014 study in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal found that of 40 randomly selected episodes from Oz's television show, his health recommendations were based on evidence just 46% of the time.
Here are eight times Oz made misleading or downright false scientific claims.
A representative for Oz didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
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