A recent study published in the British Medical Journal conducted to assess the “quality of health recommendations and claims made on popular medical talk shows” has given Dr. Oz a failing grade.
The study investigators picked 80 random episodes from 2013 for both “The Dr. Oz Show” and “The Doctors” (40 each) and took a good long look at 2 recommendations made in each episode. Here’s what they found…
“For recommendations in The Dr Oz Show, evidence supported 46%, contradicted 15%, and was not found for 39%. For recommendations in The Doctors, evidence supported 63%, contradicted 14%, and was not found for 24%.”
Yikes!
Oz gets an “F”, the Doctors get a “C-“. Brilliant!
This lead to the papers’ rather predictable conclusion…
“… Approximately half of the recommendations have either no evidence or are contradicted by the best available evidence. Potential conflicts of interest are rarely addressed. The public should be skeptical about recommendations made on medical talk shows.”
Seems to me that instead of investing that 30-60 minutes watching Dr. Oz or the Doctors, you’d be better off going for a walk, doing some gardening, or virutally anything else other than absorbing, and then acting upon those recommendations. At least that way, you’re getting something positive out of your investment!
