Steven Bartlett podcast Diary of CEO sharing dangerous well being claims, BBC probe finds | EUROtoday

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Dragons’ Den host Steven Bartlett’s podcast The Diary of a CEO is sharing dozens of dangerous well being claims that go towards scientific proof, a BBC investigation has discovered.

The podcast, launched in 2017, is reportedly the quickest rising podcast on this planet having lately reached 1 billion views and listens throughout the Apple, Spotify and YouTube platforms.

But the entrepreneurship and business-focussed podcast, which has turned extra to well being points with visitors billed as well being consultants over the previous 12 months, has come beneath scrutiny in a BBC World Service probe.

With the assistance of well being professionals, the BBC has claimed that throughout 15 health-related episodes, a mean of 14 dangerous well being claims had been made in every.

Flight Studio, the manufacturing firm behind the podcast which Mr Bartlett owns, stated “thoroughly researched” visitors gave views that supplied “an open-minded, long-form conversation”. It known as the investigation a “misleading” partial narrative.

But public confidence in healthcare professor Heidi Larson, an professional in public confidence in healthcare, informed the BBC: “They [the guests] are way overstretching. It sends people away from evidence-based medicine. They stop doing things that might have some side effects, even though it could save their life.”

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The BBC investigation discovered that “potentially harmful claims” had been made in 15 of 23 health-related episodes launched between April and November this 12 months.

The investigation claimed that anti-vaccine conspiracies and the downplaying of the success of confirmed most cancers therapy had been among the many deceptive claims made.

In an episode in October, most cancers researcher Dr Thomas Seyfried informed Mr Bartlett that the therapy of most cancers could possibly be helped by following a keto eating regimen, the BBC stated. He in contrast fashionable most cancers remedies to “medieval cures”.

When approached by the BBC, Mr Seyfriend stood by the statements he made on the podcast interview.

In one other podcast episode in July, physician Aseem Malhotra informed Mr Bartlett stated the “Covid vaccine was a net negative for society”, the BBC stated.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Malhotra defended his assertion, claiming as a result of folks disagreed, it “does not mean that they have been debunked”.

The investigation comes simply months after adverts for well being manufacturers Zoe and Huel that function Mr Bartlett had been banned for failing to reveal their business relationship with the superstar entrepreneur and influencer.

The Advertising Standards Authority discovered the advertisements “omitted” details about their hyperlinks to Mr Bartlett, who’s an investor at each manufacturers. Huel, Zoe and Bartlett had been contacted for remark on the time.

Flight Studio stated there had been a rise in health-related episodes of the podcast to mirror curiosity globally, notably following the Covid pandemic.

A spokesperson informed The Independent: “The Diary Of A CEO [DOAC]is an open-minded, long-form conversation with world leaders, global experts, CEOs, athletes, authors, actors, and other individuals identified for their distinguished and eminent career and/or consequential life experience. Each guest episode is thoroughly researched prior to commission.

“DOAC offers guests freedom of expression and believes that progress, growth and learning comes from hearing a range of voices, not just those Steven and the DOAC team necessarily agree with.

“The BBC claims to have reviewed 15 specific episodes of nearly 400 published to date. For any reporting of DOAC to focus on less than 4 per cent of episodes with an extremely limited proportion of guests – some of whom have featured on the BBC – to create a broader, and in our opinion, partial narrative is disappointing, misleading and frankly, disingenuous.”

The Independent has contacted the BBC for remark.