Who Is Controversial Wellness Podcaster Andrew Huberman?
If you're into science, health, and wellness, chances are you know who Andrew Huberman is. The neuroscientist gained a large following through his podcast "Huberman Lab," in which he breaks down topics such as mental wellness, fitness, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD. When he's not making appearances on talk shows or producing podcast content, Huberman is teaching at Stanford University, where he is somewhat of a celebrity. "He's kind of a rock star in our field," fellow neuroscientist, David Berson, told Time. Still, not all scientists are on board with Huberman's way of teaching and have criticized him for touting supplements on his podcast in order to make money from sponsors. "The data on [supplements'] efficacy tends to come from small and often very short studies that have numerous limitations, but these preliminary results are served up as evidence by companies that want to make a quick buck," science expert Jonathan Jarry stated. "Someone like Professor Huberman should be aware of these things, but that does not appear to be the case," he added.
With such a high profile, Huberman is bound to get caught up in controversy, and according to many sources, the podcaster was not who he portrayed himself to be.
Andrew Huberman was accused of sleeping with multiple women at the same time
Andrew Huberman regularly talks about the science of love and relationships on his podcast, but it seems he didn't listen to his own advice. As reported by New York magazine, Huberman was seeing a woman named Sarah, who thought they were exclusive. There were times she questioned his faithfulness to her and he would just brush off her concerns, making it seem like the other women were unhinged. Then, when a woman dubbed "Alex" started liking Sarah's social media posts, they realized that Huberman had been seeing them at the same time. They eventually discovered that there were three other women he had been sleeping with as well, each claiming that Huberman made the others seem "crazy." The investigative piece also revealed that Sarah discovered she had HPV despite being STI-free before dating Huberman (via the Independent). What's worse is that she claimed to have undergone IVF treatment and was planning on having children with the scientist.
While Huberman has yet to respond publicly to the controversial claim, scientist Lex Fridman tweeted, "It's heartbreaking to see a hit-piece written about my friend Andrew Huberman ... I know him very well, and can definitively say that he is a great human being, scientist, and educator. Hit-piece attacks like this are simply trash click-bait journalism desperately clinging on to relevance." Aside from the cheating scandal, Huberman has come under fire for his controversial medical advice and fellow scientists have called him out on his claims not backed by proof.
Andrew Huberman was accused of spreading misinformation
Andrew Huberman is a social media influencer with millions of followers who also tune into his podcast and heed his wellness advice, but scientists point out that some of what he says is "pseudoscience." Health expert and microbiologist Andrea Love shared in Slate that Huberman backs his claims with studies and research, but it's important to note that the only reliable source comes from a controlled study on humans. "He cherry-picks weak or irrelevant studies while discarding larger and more robust studies that demonstrate something different," Love wrote. She also slammed Huberman for telling his listeners that ashwagandha supplements reduce stress and anxiety when it hasn't been scientifically proven, as well as his claims that the flu vaccine doesn't always work. "The problem with health misinformation is that it often misleads people to do things that are ineffective or potentially harmful — while discouraging them from evidence-based interventions," Love went on.
In an episode of "Unbiased Science," Dr. Karl Nadolsky shared what he thought was wrong with Huberman's podcast. "It comes down to some of the guests and the way they present these things and it's not consistent with the real, you know, clinical relevant guidance that we should be giving to people. So then they take those and they think, 'Oh my god, this is awesome,'" he stated, adding that Huberman is "baffling with bulls***." His brother Dr. Spencer Nadolsky added, "If there are people out there who like, seem like they know everything about everything, I can promise you they don't."