Abdul El-Sayed ran as a Democratic Senate hopeful while quietly taking six-figure ad money on a podcast and using his medical credentials to promote supplements, peptides, and metabolic gadgets. He publicly said he would reject health-product ads, then did the opposite, reading endorsements that leaned on his status as a doctor. This piece lays out those ads, the products, and why the contradiction matters for someone asking voters to trust his judgment.
Before the campaign, El-Sayed hosted a podcast that paid well through sponsorships and ad reads, bringing in a substantial income. The commercials he delivered plugged everything from dietary supplements to peptides and a breath-based metabolism device. Those promotions often leaned on his background in medicine and public health to add credibility.
He told followers he would not use his platform to sell health products and even posted a now-deleted message saying, “I broadly reject any advertisements that are for products making claims about health,” as a public pledge. That line set an expectation that listeners should be wary when he later read ads for health goods on his own show.
I broadly reject any advertisements that are for products making claims about health,
— Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) March 2022
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
He also attacked rivals for leaning on medical prestige, telling listeners that opponents like Mehmet Oz were part of a “medical industrial complex” that sells unnecessary, unscientific products. He added, “Yet he can … say, ‘Well, I’m a doctor, so you should trust what I have to say,'” calling out the use of credentials as a marketing tool. Saying that was one thing; using the same tactic to sell goods is another.
On his podcast El-Sayed read sponsor copy that repeatedly invoked his training: “Even as a doctor and epidemiologist, nutrition labels are obnoxiously hard to process,” he said in an ad read. He went on, “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.” Those lines link his professional identity to consumer choices in a way he had publicly rejected.
Some of the items available through those retailers include products with bold brain and wellness claims, like so-called nootropics and royal jelly blends. The product copy calls one item a “nootropic blend of adaptogens and herbs that target stress to support mental stamina, alertness, and concentration” and says it is “informed by Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.” Medical experts have repeatedly cautioned that many such supplements lack robust evidence for the big cognitive claims made in marketing.
El-Sayed also ran an ad for a breath-based device, repeating the company’s pitch that “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.” Independent researchers have been skeptical, with one saying, “I just don’t see a practical use for the product in helping people achieve their weight-loss goals” and calling some of the language around metabolic flexibility marketing over science. “It’s quintessential marketing over science,” he added.
While El-Sayed holds an MD and a doctorate in public health, public records show he never completed a medical residency or held an active physician license. That distinction matters when someone leans on a title to promote products that are marketed as medical or therapeutic. Voters deserve clarity about how credentials are being used and whether endorsements are paid promotions rather than medical advice.
He also read ads for peptide products that promise skin benefits and other wellness improvements, tying those promotions back to his role as a medical professional. Campaign spokespeople did not provide a response when asked about the podcast endorsements, leaving a gap between a public promise and private ad deals. For anyone weighing character and judgment, the episode raises real questions about consistency and trust.
