Physicians Rebuke Huberman's Full-Body MRI Claims as 95% of Scans Flag Abnormalities
Updated
Updated · AOL · Aug 5
Physicians Rebuke Huberman's Full-Body MRI Claims as 95% of Scans Flag Abnormalities
3 articles · Updated · AOL · Aug 5
Summary
Andrew Huberman's Aug. 1 post saying full-body MRIs can uncover operable, life-saving problems drew swift pushback from physicians who said such cases are rare and his framing overstated the evidence.
Doctors including UCLA's Sanjay Dhall and UCSF's Anthony DiGiorgio said they have not seen incidental whole-body MRI findings commonly lead to life-saving neurosurgery, especially in asymptomatic patients.
A 2020 study found 95% of asymptomatic patients had some abnormal finding, but only 1.8% of those findings were cancer, underscoring concerns about false positives and overdiagnosis.
Full-body MRIs typically cost several hundred to several thousand dollars, are not covered by insurance, and remain a luxury service rather than an evidence-based medical necessity, physicians said.
Critics also noted Huberman is a paid scientific adviser to Function Health, which sells full-body MRIs, while radiologists warned direct-to-consumer promotion could divert scarce medical resources without improving access to care.