The great apple juice debate: FDA vs. Dr. Oz

The TV doc starts a firestorm by claiming that apple juice may be unsafe. Is Dr. Oz a whistle-blower or an alarmist?

A baby sips apple juice: TV host Dr. Oz raised parental anxiety levels last week when he said fruit drink has dangerous levels of arsenic, which the FDA quickly shot down.
(Image credit: Tickle Images/cultura/Corbis)

Popular TV medical expert Dr. Mehmet Oz has caused a nationwide food fight over the levels of arsenic in apple juice. On his program, the doctor contends that apple juice, which parents frequently give to their children, contains dangerously high levels of arsenic. The FDA, however, fired back with a statement that "there is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking these juices." The doctor, according to the FDA, failed to distinguish between organic arsenic, a relatively harmless compound that occurs in many foods, and inorganic arsenic that is found in pesticides. Should parents be worried about apple juice, or is Dr. Oz just worried about his ratings?

Dr. Oz is merely stoking anxiety: Dr. Oz's statements are "extremely irresponsible," says Dr. Richard Besser at ABC News. Arsenic is a naturally occurring substance that's found everywhere. "It's in the air we breathe, it's in the soil we walk on, it's in the water we drink." Calling apple juice "demon food" simply "plays to the heartstrings" of parents.

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