The British Medical Journal examined popular daytime medical talk shows "The Doctors" and "The Dr. Oz Show" for the accuracy of their advice and found that much of it was wrong.
The BMJ evaluated 40 episodes each of "The Doctors" and "The Dr. Oz Show" and compared their medical advice to the accurate medical information available. They found at least half of the advice half of the advice and recommendations prescribed by Dr. Mehmet Oz and the cast of "The Doctors" was supported by no evidence or contradicted the best information available.
This is not the first time the validity of Oz's advice has been in question. His false claims about a diet product landed him in a congressional hearing where Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., grilled him on his bad recommendations.
The authors of the study posited there may be a future study where they will determine if the shows should be recognized for providing more than entertainment by monitoring viewers' acceptance or rejection of the advice.
Consumers should be skeptical about any recommendations provided on television medical talk shows, as details are limited and only a third to one-half of recommendations are based on believable or somewhat believable evidence. An interesting question is whether we should expect medical talk shows to provide more than entertainment. Future studies may be directed at determining what viewers hope to obtain from watching these shows, and if the airing of these shows results in behavior changes related to specific recommendations.