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Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed made money promoting health products, including while invoking his medical credentials, despite saying he broadly rejected advertisements for products making health claims and criticizing others for doing the same.
Before running for Senate, El-Sayed hosted a podcast that provided him with a six-figure income partially through ad reads. Among the companies El-Sayed promoted for cash, often citing his purported experience as a doctor, were firms selling supplements, peptides, and an Israeli metabolism-tracking device that has been scrutinized by health experts.
The ad reads came despite an assurance from El-Sayed that he would not use his platform to sell health products to people who listen to him.
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“I broadly reject any advertisements that are for products making claims about health,” he wrote in a now-deleted social media post from March 2022.
El-Sayed also accused Mehmet Oz during his 2022 Pennsylvania Senate run of being part of the “medical industrial complex that exists to sell you things that you don’t need that are not actually based in any level of science.”
“Yet he can … say, ‘Well, I’m a doctor, so you should trust what I have to say,'” El-Sayed added.
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After assuring his audience that he wouldn’t hawk health products, and criticizing Oz for using his medical credentials for doing so, El-Sayed used his medical credentials to sell health products.
“Even as a doctor and epidemiologist, nutrition labels are obnoxiously hard to process,” El-Sayed said during a March 2025 ad read. “That’s where Thrive Market comes in. See, I love Thrive Market, my go to online grocery store for getting all of my healthy essentials delivered. And I don’t even have to leave my couch.”
Thrive Market has sold a wide selection of supplements, including items such as “Moon Juice Brain Dust” and “Royal Jelly Brain Fuel” that claim to improve the cognitive function of those who use them. Health experts have cast doubt on whether or not such supplements can actually improve brain function.
Moon Juice Brain Dust describes itself as a “nootropic blend of adaptogens and herbs that target stress to support mental stamina, alertness, and concentration” that is “informed by Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.” Royal jelly, meanwhile, is a thick, milky substance produced by bees to feed their queen. Proponents argue it can be helpful in treating menopause symptoms or addressing low energy, though scientific evidence for such claims is limited.
Thrive did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
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While El-Sayed has leaned heavily on his identity as a doctor both in doing ad reads and on the campaign trail, public records indicate that he never held a medical license or completed a residency. He does, however, hold a medical degree and a doctorate degree in public health.
The New York Post was the first to report on El-Sayed’s advertisement for health goods.
A company making moon dust and brain jelly wasn’t El-Sayed’s only customer.
On July 23, 2024, El-Sayed read an ad promoting a medical device created by an Israel-based startup.
“Lumen is the world’s first handheld metabolic coach. It’s a device that measures your metabolism through your breath and on the app. It lets you know if you’re burning fat or carbs and gives you tailored guidance to improve your nutrition, workout, sleep, and even manage your stress,” he said. “All you’ve got to do is breathe into your Lumen first thing in the morning, and it’ll give you an inside look into what’s going on with your metabolism, whether you’re burning mostly fats or carbs.”
Years before El-Sayed took Lumen’s advertising money, experts were raising concerns about its medical claims.
“I just don’t see a practical use for the product in helping people achieve their weight-loss goals,” Harbor-UCLA Medical Center senior researcher Nicholas Tiller told Outside Magazine in 2022. “The use of metabolic flexibility and other science-sounding terms lend the product a false scientific legitimacy.”
“It’s quintessential marketing over science,” he added.
El-Sayed also advertised for a company offering a peptide that allegedly improves skin health.
The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
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