Dr. Mehmet Ouncesbuilt his tv empire on the straightforward promise that you could take management of your well being.
Over 13 seasons of “The Dr. OuncesShow,” from 2009 to 2022, he advised viewers what to eat, how one can train, what dietary supplements to take and when to fret about signs.
The guts surgeon turned daytime host is an unconventional decide to run the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Providers, which oversees medical insurance packages for greater than 150 million individuals nationwide. Nonetheless, his longtime give attention to prevention appears to align with the Trump administration’s said intentions to handle America’s persistent illness “epidemic.”
The New York Occasions analyzed claims Dr. Ounceshas made about preventive well being measures throughout 2,500 tv appearances, clips from “The Dr. OuncesShow,” social media posts and different public statements. We then requested specialists to weigh in on the proof behind a few of his frequent claims.
A lot of Dr. Ouncess recommendation is rooted in sturdy science and traditional knowledge: Eat effectively, transfer extra, prioritize sleep. However he has additionally often pushed merchandise and hacks which have little to no scientific proof displaying that they stave off illness, drawing scrutiny from members of Congress and from researchers. In some instances, he has had monetary ties to the merchandise he has promoted.
A few of his claims have raised issues amongst medical specialists about how Dr. Ouncesmight use his perch if he’s confirmed.
Dr. Marion Nestle, an emeritus professor of vitamin, meals research and public well being at New York College, mentioned that a few of Dr. Ouncess speaking factors, like these about weight reduction and dietary supplements, had been “shocking, coming from someone with medical coaching, who you’d suppose would method this a bit extra scientifically.”
“However he has mentioned on quite a few events that he needs to present individuals hope,” she added.
Dr. Ouncesdidn’t reply to a request for remark.
The Declare: Fish Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Dietary supplements Are Good for Your Coronary heart
In on-line columns and on episodes of his present, Dr. Ounceshas mentioned the wide-ranging advantages of “famous person” omega-3 fatty acids in meals. He has additionally touted fish oil dietary supplements that comprise omega-3s as a means of stopping coronary heart illness and different situations. The dietary supplements embody these offered on iHerb, an organization he has served as a spokesman for and has invested in.
Many individuals with out coronary heart illness take fish oil drugs to forestall it, however evaluations of research on fish oil haven’t discovered these dietary supplements forestall cardiovascular points, mentioned Dr. Pieter Cohen, an affiliate professor at Harvard Medical Faculty who research dietary supplements.
“I see this on a regular basis,” he added. “People who find themselves completely wholesome might be like, ‘Oh yeah, I take omega-3.’”
Some research have even discovered that fish oil drugs may very well elevate the danger of creating an irregular heartbeat. Nonetheless, there may be proof that individuals with pre-existing coronary heart illness or excessive triglycerides ranges could profit from the dietary supplements. And in depth analysis reveals that consuming a weight-reduction plan wealthy in fatty acids is helpful to your general well being.
The Declare: Daylight Will Make You More healthy
Spending 15 to twenty minutes basking within the solar with out sunscreen can treatment any variety of ills, Dr. Ounceshas mentioned on his present, in weblog posts and on TikTok. It might probably energize you, scale back melancholy, minimize most cancers threat and decrease your blood strain, he has claimed. He mostly attributes these advantages to vitamin D, which the pores and skin produces when uncovered to ultraviolet mild.
There was a good quantity of scientific controversy over vitamin D. Dr. Ounceshas raised that earlier than his viewers, however he has additionally promoted vitamin D dietary supplements, together with these offered by iHerb.
Although vitamin D is a mandatory nutrient for sturdy bones, People additionally get it from their weight-reduction plan, together with fortified meals, mentioned Dr. Steven Wang, the chief of dermatology at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Seashore, Calif. And a big physique of analysis has been inconclusive about different well being advantages, akin to decreasing the incidence of cancers, coronary heart assault or stroke. Alternatively, Dr. Wang mentioned, there’s a recognized threat related to persistent solar publicity: pores and skin most cancers. About 5 million new instances are identified every year in the USA.
The Declare: Sure Meats Elevate Most cancers Threat
Eat crimson, processed, or charred meats solely sparsely, or keep away from them altogether, Dr. Ounceshas suggested on his present, in TV appearances and on public posts. That steerage comes from his concern that they improve the danger of most cancers.
On this level, specialists agree. There’s sturdy proof that consuming crimson and processed meat will increase the danger of digestive and different cancers, mentioned Carrie Daniel-MacDougall, a dietary epidemiologist at MD Anderson Most cancers Middle in Texas. The iron in meat, together with the chemical compounds which are used to protect it, or which are produced when it’s cooked at very excessive temperatures, can harm DNA, trigger irritation and produce poisonous compounds when digested, Dr. Daniel-MacDougall mentioned.
The Declare: Dietary supplements Work for Weight Loss
Pine nuts, apple cider vinegar, “teatoxing,” dietary supplements containing green-coffee-bean extract, raspberry ketones: The listing of weight reduction hacks Dr. Ounceshas promoted on his present over time goes on.
“These sorts of issues make individuals really feel like they’re doing one thing constructive for his or her well being,” Dr. Nestle mentioned.
However there is no such thing as a rigorous analysis that helps weight reduction dietary supplements, Dr. Cohen mentioned. There could also be theoretical advantages to a number of the merchandise Dr. Ounceshas promoted — for instance, Dr. Nestle mentioned it’s doable that the fermentation in apple cider vinegar may barely support with digestion. However there may be not substantial proof that these things result in weight reduction.
The Declare: Probiotics Are Good for Intestine Well being
Dr. Ounceshas talked concerning the perks of probiotics — reside microorganisms generally referred to as “good micro organism” — together with bettering intestine well being. He has promoted iHerb’s probiotic dietary supplements on social media.
One idea behind the advantages of probiotics is that they bolster the intestine microbiome. However there is no such thing as a consensus on whether or not a generic probiotic tablet helps wholesome individuals, mentioned Justin L. Sonnenburg, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford College. The contents of those dietary supplements also can range. And since everybody has a unique intestine microbiome, individuals’s reactions to particular probiotics are laborious to foretell, he mentioned.
Dr. Sonnenburg does, nevertheless, suggest consuming meals like kimchi and kefir that comprise microbes which are good for the intestine. These meals additionally comprise helpful substances, referred to as metabolites, that aren’t present in most dietary supplements.
The Declare: You Ought to Train to Decrease Illness Threat
Dr. Ounceslong promoted train on his present as a method to push back Alzheimer’s illness, most cancers, cardiovascular points and extra. A wealth of analysis has proven that to be legit. Even common quick bursts of train — just like the 10-minute or much less exercise routines Dr. Ouncesoften highlighted on his present — are linked with a decrease probability of most cancers and different ailments. Train additionally strengthens the mind, bolsters coronary heart well being and improves the immune system’s protection towards infections.
The Declare: Socializing Is Very important for Good Well being
Your coronary heart wants a purpose to maintain beating, Dr. Ouncestold his followers again and again. He has referred to as loneliness an “epidemic.” On Valentine’s Day, he posted a TikTok in entrance of a Rodin statue on the Nationwide Gallery in Washington, D.C., opining that friendships “scale back your blood strain, scale back your persistent ache, your nervousness, your melancholy.”
Researchers have theorized that social connections are very important for managing stress, which in flip may also help preserve blood strain in verify. Social isolation has additionally been linked to an elevated threat of melancholy, coronary heart illness and cognitive decline, notably amongst older adults. And research have discovered a hyperlink between social isolation and persistent ache.
The Declare: Poor Sleep Raises Most cancers Threat
America is dealing with a “sleep disaster,” based on Dr. Oz. He has mentioned that insufficient sleep can improve your threat of most cancers, result in hypertension and make it laborious to drop extra pounds.
“Sleep is helpful on your well being, however the physique of proof on sleep length and most cancers is just not constant,” mentioned Trang VoPham, an epidemiologist on the Fred Hutch Most cancers Middle in Washington. A number of research and analysis evaluations have discovered no affiliation between the 2, whereas a number of have linked sleeping for 9 hours or extra with an elevated threat of colorectal most cancers.
Dr. VoPham mentioned there may be proof that night-shift employees, whose schedules are chronically misaligned with their publicity to mild, are at elevated threat for weight problems and most cancers. Power poor sleep can also be related to an elevated threat of insulin resistance and hypertension.
