Dr. Oz Reacts to Senate Grilling: I’ll Exercise ‘Caution’ in the Future
Dr. Mehmet Oz testified on the Hill yesterday and faced quite the grilling from Senator Claire McCaskill over his public support of “miracle” weigh loss products, and on Facebook today, Dr. Oz acknowledged that in the future, he needs to exercise more caution when deciding what products to support on his daytime talk show.
Oz defended himself yesterday by saying he acts as a “cheerleader” for the audience and while some of the products he pushes might not meet a certain standard of “scientific muster,” he believes it’s his duty to inform the public about things he think would be helpful for their health as he would a friend or family member.
Here’s the full statement from Dr. Oz’s Facebook post today:
I was pleased that the hearing yesterday dealt with some complicated issues and had all the players present whose cooperation will be necessary to move forward in protecting the consumer. For years I felt that because I did not sell any products that I could be enthusiastic in my coverage and I believe the research surrounding the products I cover has value. I took part in the hearing because I am accountable for my role in the proliferation of these scams and I recognize that my enthusiastic language has made the problem worse at times. To not have the conversation about supplements at all, however, would be a disservice to the viewer. In addition to exercising an abundance of caution in discussing promising research and products in the future, I look forward to working with all those present yesterday in finding a way to deal with the problems of weight loss scams.
Dr. Oz’s friend Oprah Winfrey, it should be noted, has come under fire in the past for alternative health remedies she pushed on her talk show.
And you can watch part of his public grilling yesterday here, via C-SPAN 3:
[image via screengrab]
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