Her personal life has come into the spotlight, with accusations of multiple affairs and irresponsible sexual behavior, including passing on an STI to a lover.
Now, things have gotten worse for popular wellness influencer Andrew Huberman, who is facing the ire of skeptical doctors who say his health claims “deviate from the truth.”
The podcaster, who denies all accusations of promiscuity, has 5.2 million subscribers to his podcast Huberman Lab: where he offers recommendations on all kinds of health topics, from oral health to autism.
But experts have called much of its content “pseudoscientific,” accusing it of promoting questionable herbs for anxiety, a platform for “dangerous” opinions that demonize benign ingredients and cast doubt on the effectiveness of the flu vaccine.
Dr. Andrea Love, a microbiologist and immunologist, accused Andrew Huberman of “filling his podcast with confident demonstrations of pseudoscience.”
Huberman with fellow podcaster Lex Fridman, who attracts 3.9 million followers to his channel where he talks about science and technology.
In one video, Huberman can be seen saying: “The flu vaccine is completely ineffective at combating any other form of the flu virus (strains that are not currently circulating), colds, or any other type of respiratory tract infection.” superiors”.
However, the CDC contradicts this, saying that the flu vaccine “may still offer some protection,” while recommendations from East Carolina University say that “antibodies produced in response to the vaccine may provide some protection.” (cross-protection) against different, but related strains of the influenza virus.’
The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older, with rare exceptions, get a flu vaccine each season.
Between 4,900 and 51,000 Americans die each year from the flu, the agency estimated, and 1,100 lives are saved annually due to vaccinations.
Dr. Andrea Love, microbiologist and immunologist, said: Andrew Huberman “fills his podcast with confident demonstrations of pseudoscience.”
“It contains grains of truth, but those grains of truth are exaggerated beyond the point of being useful, even to the point of distancing us from the truth,” he wrote in Board.
One of the disputed claims, made in a podcast episode titled ‘How to Prevent and Treat Colds and Flu’, is that the flu vaccine only works if it protects against the dominant strain.
Neurobiology professor Andrew Huberman speaking at a conference in Boston in 2023
He goes on to state that this is one of the main reasons he doesn’t get the flu vaccine, which is recommended by health officials, including the CDC.
He stated that the flu vaccine may be “completely ineffective” if it does not protect against the strain of flu that circulated that year.
But regardless of the strain circulating, flu vaccines still offer protection against illness, hospitalization and death from any flu virus because of the broad immunity we generate in response, according to Dr. Love.
Flu forecasts are made to anticipate which flu viruses are most likely to circulate and cause the most illness during the season, using data from other countries on current strains. The shots are then modified accordingly year after year.
Huberman recommends that people with “immunocompromised family members” or those “concerned about transmitting the flu to any individual or group of people” talk to their doctor before deciding whether or not to get a flu vaccine.
Another of Huberman’s claims, made in the podcast titled ‘Using Cortisol & Adrenaline to Boost Our Energy & Immune System Function,’ is that ashwagandha, a supplement made from an evergreen shrub, ‘has a profound effect on anxiety’ and can reduce stress. cortisol and even depression.
It makes “bold claims,” including that ashwagandha can cause multiple knock-on effects, improving vision, cardiovascular health, sleep and memory.
But the evidence is questionable, with small samples and self-reported data, Dr. Love said.
Dr. Love reviewed the literature and said she found the human data provided a “conflicting and more limited picture.”
A 2012 study suggested it may improve chronic stress, but it only had 64 participants.
A meta-analysis that looked at five small randomized controlled trials concluded that it may help sleep, especially in people with insomnia, but found “no significant effect on quality of life.”
There is also evidence of the supplement. causing liver damageaccording to a 2020 study, which looked at five cases of liver injury attributed to supplements containing ashwagandha.
All patients developed jaundice and symptoms such as nausea, lethargy, severe itchy skin, and abdominal discomfort.
“I wouldn’t suggest anyone trust their health to this,” Dr. Love said.
But Huberman said ashwagandha “is presented as the heavyweight,” though he made sure to add the liability warning: “You are responsible for making sure (supplements are) safe for you if you decide to use them.”
In another case, Huberman said a study was done on people when it was actually done on rats.
In the episode, titled “How Sugar and Processed Foods Impact Your Health,” Huberman was joined by pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig, who has a history of making extreme claims about foods, such as calling sugar a ” poison”.
Critics including The Academy of Health Scienceswho train nutritionists, have stated that it is “dangerous” to demonize any nutrient such as fructose, as it could mislead the public into reducing their fruit consumption.
Dr. Lustig cites a study to support their claim that consuming ultra-processed foods slows bone growth.
Huberman asked, “Was this in vitro or in vivo?” Lustig replied: “In vivo.”
Huberman then said: ‘So these are people who eat large amounts of highly processed foods; How exactly did (the researcher) find those in the Middle East?
Lustig replied: “In Israel.”
In vivo means a study that is done on a living organism, and while it can refer to studies done on humans, the research Lustig was talking about was done on rats.
“To claim that the results have direct relevance to people is a misinterpretation of the data,” Dr. Love told Slate. ‘…Huberman presents his conclusions as if they were facts, so his listeners trust him.’
Huberman did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.