$9 Million Fine for False Advertising of Coffee Bean

It seems that magic beans only exist in fairy tales. Following consumer complaints and a June 2014 congressional hearing, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against the manufacturer of a green coffee bean extract heavily promoted by Dr. Oz on his popular television show.

This is not the first time that the credibility of both Dr. Oz and Duncan has been challenged when it comes to claims made about the coffee bean extract. In October 2014 the co-authors of the one and only study that supported the weight loss claims repeated by Oz.

“The sponsors of the study cannot assure the validity of the data so we, Joe Vinson and Bryan Burnham, are retracting the paper.”

With the “scientists” disowning their research, public pressure built and the FTC took action. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the deception that Duncan and other company spokesmen engaged in included appearing on television shows portraying themselves as independent nutrition experts and consumer advocates without disclosing that they were paid to promote green coffee bean extract and other supplements.

False and deceptive claims made by Dr. Oz, Lindsey Duncan and others about green coffee beans are only the tip of the iceberg. A study in the December 2014 analysed the medical advice given on TV talk shows and found that many of the claims are unproven or unsubstantiated.

The researchers examined health and nutrition claims made on “The Dr. Oz Show” and “The Doctors” to see if they were supported by studies in the published, peer-reviewed literature. The researchers found that for recommendations in ‘The Dr. Oz Show,’ evidence supported 46 percent, contradicted 15 percent, and was not found for 39 percent. Therefore less than half the time the advice Dr. Oz was giving was based in science.