Earlier in the year, Dr. Mehmet Oz, more commonly known as TV's Dr. Oz, touted the benefits of using green coffee bean extract for weight loss, citing a study highlighting the effectiveness of the ingredient. However, said study has been retracted, calling into question whether or not green coffee bean extract actually works.
Titled "Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, crossover study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects," the study was funded by Texas-based Applied Food Sciences. The company commissioned the study to be conducted in India but it was written by University of Scranton researchers Joe Vinson and Bryan Burnham, claiming that green coffee bean extract supplements can make it possible for people to lose 16 percent of body fat even without changing the way they eat or engaging in regular exercise.
"The sponsors of the study cannot assure the validity of the data so we, Joe Vinson and Bryan Burnham, are retracting the paper," said an online notice where the study was published.
The Dr. Oz Show covered green coffee bean extract in previous seasons for its potential as a weight loss aid.
"Recently the authors of the peer reviewed research paper on which our coverage had been partially based formally retracted their study. This sometimes happens in scientific research, [indicating] that further study is needed regarding any potential benefits of Green Coffee Extract," stated in its website.
Dr. Oz also came under fire a few months ago when he was invited to come before Congress and enlighten to officials why he was promoting weight loss aids that don't have scientific basis.
Dr. Oz tried to defend himself by citing the study Vinson and Burnham wrote but the panel noted it was funded by a manufacturer of green coffee bean extract supplements.
Now that the study has been retracted, all scientific data backing the use of green coffee bean extract for weight loss is also gone.
The Federal Trade Commission announced in September that it has reached a settlement agreement with Applied Food Sciences. For using results from a flawed study and making baseless claims with said results, the company had to pay $3.5 million.
"Applied Food Sciences knew or should have known that this botched study didn't prove anything. In publicizing the results, it helped fuel the green coffee phenomenon," noted Jessica Rich, FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection director.
