Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has faced criticism for promoting health products, including supplements and a metabolism-tracking device, on his podcast, despite having previously stated he would broadly reject advertisements for such items. Critics argue that El-Sayed, who holds medical and public health degrees but lacks a medical license and has not completed a residency, has invoked his credentials to promote products whose efficacy is questioned by health experts.
During his podcast, El-Sayed promoted products such as "Moon Juice Brain Dust" and "Royal Jelly Brain Fuel" from Thrive Market, and a metabolism-measuring device called Lumen. He described Thrive Market as his "go to online grocery store for getting all of my healthy essentials delivered," and stated that "Even as a doctor and epidemiologist, nutrition labels are obnoxiously hard to process." He also promoted Lumen as a "handheld metabolic coach" that measures metabolism through breath.
These endorsements came after El-Sayed publicly rejected ads for health products in a March 2022 social media post, writing, "I broadly reject any advertisements that are for products making claims about health." He also criticized Dr. Mehmet Oz during his 2022 Senate run, accusing him of being part of a "medical industrial complex that exists to sell you things that you don’t need that are not actually based in any level of science." El-Sayed stated, "Yet he can … say, ‘Well, I’m a doctor, so you should trust what I have to say.'"
Experts have raised concerns about the products El-Sayed endorsed. Health experts have cast doubt on whether supplements like "Moon Juice Brain Dust" can improve cognitive function. Nicholas Tiller, a senior researcher at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, told Outside Magazine in 2022 that the Lumen device has "false scientific legitimacy" and is "quintessential marketing over science."
Public records indicate El-Sayed never held a medical license or completed a residency. His campaign did not respond to requests for comment regarding these endorsements and his past statements. The New York Post was the first to report on El-Sayed's podcast advertisements for health goods. IMAGE6 IMAGE7 
