FACT CHECK: Envy Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies not endorsed by Doc Willie Ong

Claim: Cardiologist and online health personality Dr. Willie Ong, also known as Doc Willie, endorses Envy Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies which claims to lower cholesterol, smoothen the skin, and increase height.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the Facebook video bearing the claim has 955,000 views, 9,700 reactions, and 2,500 comments.

Ong’s voice can be heard in the video saying, “Pampababa ng cholesterol. Kung may problema kayo sa cholesterol, mataas ang cholesterol, may sakit sa puso, ito iyong natural way na hindi ka na iinom ng simvastatin at atorvastatin, bababa iyong cholesterol mo ng mga 20 points.”

([This product] lowers cholesterol. If you have cholesterol problems, if your cholesterol levels are high, or if you have heart illness, this is the natural way to lower your cholesterol by up to 20 points without taking simvastatin or atorvastatin.)

The Facebook post also includes several clips of Ong superimposed on video showing Envy Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies, implying that Ong endorses the product.

The facts: The clip of Ong used in the Envy Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies ad was originally from a video posted on February 22, 2023.

In the original video, Ong talks about the health benefits of eating oatmeal every day. The misleading ad deleted the part where Ong referred to oatmeal, making it seem that the doctor is referring to the apple cider vinegar food supplement instead.

Ong’s full statement says, “Number one, ang benefit ng oatmeal, pampababa ng cholesterol. Kung may problema kayo sa cholesterol, mataas ang cholesterol, may sakit sa puso, ito iyong natural way na hindi ka na iinom ng simvastatin at atorvastatin, bababa iyong cholesterol mo ng mga 20 points.”

(The number one benefit of oatmeal is that it lowers cholesterol. If you have cholesterol problems, if your cholesterol level is high, or if you have heart illness, this is the natural way to lower your cholesterol by up to 20 points without taking simvastatin or atorvastatin.)

Real endorsements: Ong had already told Rappler in an email that the only product he and his wife endorse is Birch Tree Advance, a nutritional milk for seniors. 

The Facebook account that posted the ad, “Doc Willie & Lizza Ong’s – Health Tip+,” is also not an official account of the couple. 

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Not FDA registered: Envy Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies is not on the Philippine Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) list of approved food and drug products. There are 18 apple cider vinegar gummy products registered under the FDA, none of which are manufactured by a company named Envy.

Previous false claims: Rappler has fact-checked similar claims about products using Ong in false endorsements:

• FACT CHECK: Ayurma Healing Oil not promoted by health TV show
  (February 12, 2024)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong doesn’t endorse Nasure Colostrum Milk
  (December 24, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong doesn’t endorse Lung Gold Milk
  (December 18, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Barley Grass Powder ad uses altered photo of Doc Willie Ong
  (September 29, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Fake ads for hair growth product use Doc Willie Ong’s videos
  (August 11, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong ad promoting whitening toothpaste is fake
  (July 25, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong’s name, videos used in fake ads for Glufarelin
  (July 21, 2023)

– Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com

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