A top podcaster has relayed dangerous health misinformation in 15 of his 23 health-related episodes, a BBC investigation revealed.
Steven Bartlett, host of the "Diary of a CEO" podcast, which has been streamed more than 1 billion times across platforms, pivoted to more health-focused episodes in 2023 and has watched his views increase by millions ever since, according to the BBC.
BBC journalists along with four medical experts fact-checked 23 of Bartlett's health episodes, released between April and November, and found that 15 of them expounded on potentially harmful claims that could lead to negative health outcomes.
The most popular types of misinformation included anti-vaccine conspiracies, which claimed Covid was an engineered weapon; polycystic ovarian syndrome, autism and other disorders can be reversed by changing diet; and evidence-based medication is "toxic" for patients, asserted while negating the treatments' successes, the BBC reported.
Dr. David Grimes from Trinity College Dublin stated that podcasters like Bartlett tell listeners they're sharing helpful information when it is actually the opposite.
"That's a very different and not empowering thing. It actually imperils all our health," he told the BBC.
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