Doctor Oz is popular among millions of fans who enjoy his medical advice, but a paper on weight loss supporting claims of the physician has been retracted.
Mehmet Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon, as well as a professor at Columbia University. He gained national notoriety after making several appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The billionaire talk show host was the driving force behind the Dr. Oz show, which premiered on September 14, 2009.
Green coffee bean extract has often by cited by Dr. Oz on his show and in interviews as a natural supplement capable of supporting weight loss.
Applied Food Sciences, the manufacturer of a green coffee bean extract touted by Dr. Oz, settled charges leveled against them by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The federal agency claimed the corporation knowingly used the results of a faulty study to promote their product.
"The FTC complaint alleges the study was so hopelessly flawed that no reliable conclusions could be drawn from it. The flawed study, which purported to show that the product causes 'substantial weight and fat loss,' was later touted on The Dr. Oz Show," the Federal Trade Commission reported.
The FTC charged that managers at Applied Food Sciences paid researchers in India to conduct a study into the effect of the extract on weight loss. The lead investigator on the study altered the data, included measured weights and length of research, according to federal officials. Managers of Applied Food Sciences agreed to pay a fine of $3.5 million for their actions while selling the extract.
"The sponsors of the study cannot assure the validity of the data so we, Joe Vinson and Bryan Burnham, are retracting the paper," the authors wrote.
Doctor Oz launched a campaign in May 2013, fighting against corporations using his name, stating he endorsed products without an official declaration of the same from the physician. Since that time, he has ended his program with a disclaimer, disavowing any such claims.
"I consider anyone that uses my name or my picture to try to sell you a product or supplement reckless and dangerous. They are undermining my credibility with you and the trust you place in me. More importantly, it could be dangerous to your health," Doctor Oz reads at the end of each episode.
Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri grilled Doctor Oz on Capitol hill in June, demanding to know why he promotes claims which she claims he knows to be false. The Senator received $129,058 in campaign financing from pharmaceutical corporation Express Scripts between 2009 and 2014, according to OpenSecrets.org.
