Dr Oz's panel discusses the safety of dietary supplements
A recent episode of the uber-popular Dr. Oz Show discussed the dangers of supplements. While I like Dr. Oz and think this particular show is an important topic, I must disagree with several of Dr. Oz’s statements today.
For example, the Dr. Oz show began with the “Vinegar Test.” This test supposedly determines whether your supplement will break down in your body – a very important issue. According to Oz, if you heat a cup or so of vinegar to 98-degrees and then drop in a pill, it should dissolve in 30-minutes. The claim is if the pill doesn’t dissolve in 30-minute, it won’t dissolve in the body. The problem is…this is a bogus test!
Unfortunately, according to many sources including our own Nicole Gould, RD, LD, heated vinegar does not approximate the acidity of the stomach during digestion, and therefore this test does NOT help determine the quality of a supplement. My fear is countless people will begin tossing away supplements they now believe are now worthless, when in fact, they probably aren’t.
While I think this program makes some good points about supplement safety, I do disagree with a variety of the statements and feel others need further explanation. For more, I invite you to listen-in on today’s podcast.
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I enjoyed the podcast Mike. I’m a fan of Dr. Oz, but I think its important to point out that yes he’s a doctor, but some of what he says is his opinion and may not be shared by everyone in the health field. You can’t take everything he says as fact which is sometimes tough when its on TV or in magazines.
Yup, I’m with you Charlie. I too like Dr. Oz, but sometimes I feel his show is rushed. Sometimes I wish he would devote more time to a topic and allow for greater discussion. Glad you liked the podcast!
Well, I’m just a busy “layman” and I like Dr. Oz because I get a little bit each day, so I have time to absorb it without getting overwhelmed. It’s not too cryptic – he goes into enough of the detail without getting so far into it that he loses my attention. So I make changes every day. Isn’t that what he is trying to accomplish? Getting the general public educated, a step at a time? Leave the greater discussions to the scientific conferences: he has an impact and people are listening.
Good point Patricia. I guess it’s just a matter of interest in a given topic. I do think Dr. Oz has done a great job at getting the message out. With that said, whenever I talk to someone about the show I tend to get two comments – the first is “I love that show!” But then the second most popular comment is “I wish he would spend more time on some of his topics.”
It’s probably just that when I find a topic really interesting, it seems to be over too quickly. But hey…maybe that’s the plan – ‘always leave ‘em wanting more.”
Thanks for taking the time to comment.