Dr. Oz Diet Products: Miracle Weight Loss 'Not True,' Says Senator

By Staff Reporter| Jun 18, 2014

Celebrity physician Dr. Mehmet Oz was under fire and forced to be on the defensive side after a panel of senators question his promotions of "miracle" weight loss products. 

The TV celebrity medical physician from "The Dr Oz Show" was accused of peddling ineffective weight loss supplements on Tuesday. 

According to CNN, Sen. Claire McCaskill, chairwoman of the subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance, grilled Oz about products that were featured in his show that don't have the appropriate scientific basis to support its effectivity. 

"The scientific community is almost monolithic against you in terms of the efficacy of the three products you called 'miracles,'" said the Missouri Democrat. She emphasized her concerns on what she considered scams given their inability to provide the advertised effects. 

"I don't get why you need to say this stuff when you know it's not true. When you have this amazing megaphone, why would you cheapen your show?... With power comes a great deal of responsibility."

The doctor who gained popularity through appearances on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" did admit that he uses "flowery" language to promote certain products which he believes may assist the public in getting healthy. But according to the cardiothoracic surgeon, he doesn't endorse specific companies or brands. 

He further emphasized that anything he promotes is always as a supplement to what he believes are the core elements of weight loss - eating right and exercising. 

In his statements, Oz declared himself a victim saying he doesn't get profits from any treatments mentioned on the show. He further emphasized that he has to defend his reputation and good name from the damage brought about by unscrupulous opportunists.

"We were invited down to Washington to testify at a hearing about scams and instead it became all about how much we hate your show," a source close to Oz told the Daily News

Oz, along with five other individuals are being investigated after they names were linked to con-businesses that make profits off fake weight-loss treatments. 

The doctor insists that his integrity and professionalism remain intact because he makes it a point to review and try all products before talking about it. 

"I intensively study them. I have given my family these products. . . . If you can lose a pound a week more than you would have lost by using them, it jump-starts you and gets you going. I think it makes sense," noted NY Daily News of Oz.

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