Dr. Oz claims to be one of the biggest proponents of eating fish but time and time again when it comes to seafood science he comes close to getting it right or he just misses altogether.

After a recent syndicated column once again didnt quite get the story on seafood right we reached out to his syndicator who promised theyd pass our concerns right along to him.

We never heard back from Dr. Oz himself. Does it seem to you like our efforts to educate him are falling on deaf ears?

Glenn Mott

Managing Editor and Director of Publishing

King Features

300 West 57th Street 15th Floor

New York, NY 10019-5238

February 26, 2010

VIA Email

Dear Mr. Mott,

I am writing to call your attention to serious errors contained in a column authored by Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz that was syndicated in the Chicago Sun-Times (Eat types of fish with less mercury, February 24, 2010) through King Features.

Drs. Roizen and Oz wrote: “But as you mention, mercury — which can affect the development of the brain and nervous system of a fetus (that’s why limits are placed on fish for pregnant women) and is toxic in large doses to adults, too — gives you some bad with the good. If you’re eating five or six fish meals a week, you may be getting too much of the bad thing that’s in that good thing.”

This assertion is incorrect and flies in the face of the latest nutritional science. Peer-reviewed medical evidence does not suggest that eating fish five or six times per week is unhealthy. The American Heart Association recommends people eat at least two servings a week and multiple decades-long studies of fish consumption in the Seychelles Islands found residents there ate up to 12 servings a week and suffered no ill effects.

Drs. Roizen and Oz also wrote: “The fish with the most mercury are king mackerel, shark and swordfish. Avoid these.” This is a distortion of an existing FDA advisory that cautions only pregnant women and young children to avoid these fish. Quite pointedly, this advisory does not apply to the general population. Furthermore, the FDA advice clearly states, for most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern.”

You also need to know that this article establishes a consistent pattern when it comes to Dr. Oz. On January 26, 2010, Dr. Oz aired a segment on fish and mercury on the “Dr. Oz Show,” that repeated a number of outright errors and distortions concerning the science of fish and nutrition, errors that we outlined in a letter to his producers as well as a video rebuttal that we posted on YouTube.

Please know that we take these issues seriously, and must insist that King Features correct these errors and re-issue an amended column that makes note of them. Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Gavin Gibbons

National Fisheries Institute