HoldsUp

Dr. Eric Berg DC · 2026-07-02 · Eric Berg (host), Steve, Natala, Tashia

The Dr. Berg Show LIVE - July 2, 2026

42 research-tied claims examined: 5 contradicted 8 overstated 8 context 16 supported 5 unverified

16

Supported by research

0:09:11Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

Beetroot increases nitric oxide, acting as a vasodilator and lowering blood pressure.

"So there's some data on beetroot um that it actually can help increase nitric oxide which is a vasodilator. So if you're vasodilating naturally the blood pressure is going to come down from that." (said at 0:09:11)

A robust body of evidence from randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses demonstrates that beetroot is rich in inorganic nitrate, which is metabolized in the human body into nitric oxide, a potent endogenous vasodilator. Meta-analyses of clinical trials confirm that supplementation with beetroot juice or inorganic nitrate enhances endothelial vasodilation (measured by flow-mediated dilation) and significantly reduces resting blood pressure, particularly systolic blood pressure (by approximately 4.8 to 5.3 mmHg).

0:09:31Eric Berg (host)supportedmoderate

Arugula is one of the highest vegetable sources to help produce nitric oxide.

"Arugula is like one of the highest things that can help give you nitric oxide." (said at 0:09:31)

Dietary nitrate serves as a primary precursor for nitric oxide (NO) generation in humans through the enterosalivary nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway. Non-leguminous leafy green vegetables, including arugula (rocket), accumulate high concentrations of inorganic nitrate compared to other plant foods, making them among the richest dietary sources to enhance endogenous nitric oxide bioavailability.

0:23:24Eric Berg (host)supportedmoderate

Plastics mimic estrogen and block natural estrogen in the body.

"Plastics mimic estrogen. They're creating a blockage of the good estrogen, creating the bad estrogen, creating all sorts of hormonal issues." (said at 0:23:24)

Compounds derived from or used in plastics (such as bisphenol A and certain phthalate plasticizers) are classified as xenoestrogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In vitro, animal, and epidemiological studies demonstrate that these synthetic chemicals share structural similarities with endogenous estrogens (such as 17β-estradiol), allowing them to bind to nuclear estrogen receptors (ERα, ERβ) and membrane receptors (such as GPR30). Through these interactions, they can act as estrogen agonists (mimicking estrogenic activity) or partial agonists/antagonists, disrupting the normal physiologic signaling pathways of endogenous hormones. While colloquial terms like 'good' versus 'bad' estrogen are overly simplified lay phrasing, the underlying mechanism—that plastic-derived xenoestrogens mimic and disrupt natural estrogen receptor signaling—is well-established.

0:24:21Eric Berg (host)supportedmoderate

Garlic extract intake influences and reduces LDL lipoprotein levels.

"There's some data that shows that garlic definitely can influence that." (said at 0:24:21)

Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials demonstrate that garlic supplementation (including garlic powder, oil, and extracts) significantly reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as well as total cholesterol. The magnitude of LDL-C reduction is modest and varies across specific garlic preparations, baseline lipid status, and trial duration, but the overall lipid-lowering effect is well-documented.

0:25:47Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

Consuming excess carbohydrates causes the body to retain sodium and fluid.

"When you consume um too many carbs, you tend to retain sodium and you get fluid retention, which doesn't really help help with inflammation in the joints." (said at 0:25:47)

Consuming carbohydrates increases insulin secretion, which directly stimulates renal sodium reabsorption in the distal tubule and leads to fluid retention. Classic metabolic and physiological studies in humans demonstrate that elevated insulin levels significantly reduce urinary sodium excretion (antinatriuresis) without altering glomerular filtration rate or renal blood flow. In addition, each gram of glycogen stored from carbohydrate intake binds approximately 3 to 4 grams of water.

0:26:58Eric Berg (host)supportedlow

The Coimbra protocol uses high doses of vitamin D3 to treat autoimmune skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

"He was one of the doctors that were trained by Dr. Coimbra protocol that you should try to find his website... they're using higher doses of vitamin D3 to literally um create massive changes." (said at 0:26:58)

The Coimbra protocol, established by Dr. Cícero Galli Coimbra, uses high daily doses of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)—typically 35,000 IU per day or more, combined with a strict low-calcium diet and adequate hydration—to treat autoimmune conditions, including dermatological disorders such as psoriasis and vitiligo. Published evaluation of the protocol is limited to small pilot studies and observational safety analyses showing clinical improvements alongside monitored serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels, but lacking large-scale randomized controlled trial verification.

0:05:41Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) helps remove mucus from the body.

"also if there's any mucus, you can do research on NAC, which is a really good thing to kind of pull mucus out of your body." (said at 0:05:41)

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an established mucolytic and mucoregulatory agent. Its free sulfhydryl group breaks disulfide bonds in mucin polymers, reducing mucus viscosity and improving airway mucus clearance in conditions characterized by mucus hypersecretion.

0:12:00Eric Berg (host)supportedmoderate

Maintaining a daily fluid intake of at least 2.5 liters dilutes urine sufficiently to prevent kidney stone formation.

"And then also, if you keep at least two and a half liters of fluid in your body per day, uh that'll at least keep it diluted enough so it won't form a stone." (said at 0:12:00)

Randomized controlled trials and clinical guidelines recommend a daily fluid intake of at least 2.5 to 3 liters (achieving at least 2 to 2.5 liters of daily urine output) to decrease urinary supersaturation and prevent kidney stone formation and recurrence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses show that increasing fluid intake significantly reduces the relative risk of recurrent stone formation by approximately 55% to 60% compared to standard fluid intake.

0:35:46Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

The human body does not have a physiological mechanism to eliminate excess iron.

"We don't have a mechanism to get rid of too much iron and a lot of people have they're stuck with too much." (said at 0:35:46)

Established physiological literature confirms that humans and other mammals lack an active, regulated physiological mechanism to excrete excess iron. Iron balance is maintained primarily by tightly controlling dietary absorption in the small intestine (regulated by the hormone hepcidin and the exporter ferroportin) and recycling internal iron stores. Iron is lost only through unregulated, passive routes such as the sloughing of intestinal enterocytes and skin cells, minor sweat loss, or blood loss (e.g., menstruation). Because there is no regulated excretory pathway for excess iron, conditions involving impaired regulation (such as hereditary hemochromatosis) or frequent blood transfusions lead to systemic iron accumulation and toxicity.

0:35:57Eric Berg (host)supportedmoderate

Data shows that curcumin and green tea help reduce iron levels, and sweating removes iron from the body.

"there is some data to show that curcumin and green tea can help a little bit, but donation of blood is going to be probably important and some sweating does remove some of the iron." (said at 0:35:57)

Clinical and physiological studies support the speaker's claim that curcumin and green tea can modestly help lower iron levels, and that sweat serves as a minor route of iron excretion. In randomized controlled trials, curcumin supplementation significantly lowered serum iron, ferritin, and transferrin saturation in patients with iron overload (PMID 35254032). Similarly, systematic reviews of randomized trials indicate that green tea compounds can bind iron and help reduce ferritin and total iron levels (PMID 41281788). Finally, physiological studies confirm that human sweat contains measurable concentrations of iron, resulting in modest dermal iron excretion during exercise or thermal sweating (PMID 30260183, PMID 6825307).

0:47:22Eric Berg (host)supportedvery low

Vaping aerosols contain byproducts that can produce formaldehyde and are pro-tumor.

"There's byproducts that uh could lead to um formaldehyde. So you get all these different chemicals and you get a quite a few you know doses of nicotine... it's pro it's it's pro-tumor." (said at 0:47:22)

Chemical analyses of electronic cigarette aerosols demonstrate that thermal degradation (pyrolysis) of e-liquid components, such as vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol, yields toxic aldehydes including formaldehyde. In addition, e-cigarette aerosols contain nicotine and nitrosamines that induce DNA damage and impair DNA repair. Preclinical animal studies show that long-term exposure to e-cigarette smoke induces lung adenocarcinoma and urothelial hyperplasia in mice. However, because e-cigarette use is relatively recent and cancer latency periods span decades, direct long-term human epidemiological data confirming clinical cancer incidence remain limited, placing the certainty of the body of evidence at very low.

0:51:58Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

A randomized controlled trial on diabetes showed that a specific diet reverses diabetes in less than half of patients within 3 months.

"Has anyone ever told you that in certain randomized control trials, which is remember very small amount uh a few few diets that are um done to actually look at these variables. There's one on diabetes that showed that you can reverse it in probably less than half of the people in 3 months." (said at 0:51:58)

Randomized controlled trials evaluating intensive dietary interventions for type 2 diabetes remission show that approximately 46% to 47% (less than half) of participants achieve diabetes remission off medication. For example, in the landmark DiRECT randomized trial utilizing a 3- to 5-month total diet replacement formula, 46% of participants achieved diabetes remission at 12 months. Similarly, a randomized trial of an intermittent calorie-restricted diet (Chinese Medical Nutrition Therapy) administered for 3 months found that 47.2% of participants achieved diabetes remission.

0:51:17Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

In diabetes, elevated blood sugar damages the vascular system supplying peripheral nerves, leading to nerve death, tissue necrosis, and increased susceptibility to extremity infections.

"What's happening is you're getting uh a lack of blood flow into the extremities starting with the toes. That's what goes first. So we get this this problem because the sugar is creating damage in the vascular system and then the vascular system feeds the nerves and so the nerves die, the tissue dies, you literally kill off the tissues. In in in that state you have higher susceptibility to infections." (said at 0:51:17)

The host's statement accurately describes the established pathophysiological sequence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy and diabetic foot disease. Chronic hyperglycemia causes microvascular and macrovascular damage (endothelial dysfunction, impaired nitric oxide production, and ischemia of the vasa nervorum supplying peripheral nerves), leading to progressive nerve damage and loss of protective sensation, starting distally in the toes/extremities (length-dependent neuropathy). Concomitant vascular ischemia and neuropathy cause tissue breakdown, ulceration/necrosis, and markedly increased susceptibility to severe soft-tissue and extremity infections.

  • supports: The diabetic foot: Pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment. (Seminars in vascular surgery 2018) · cited 420x in the literature
    "The pathophysiology of the diabetic foot ulcer and soft-tissue infection is due to neuropathy, trauma, and, in many patients, concomitant peripheral artery occlusive disease... Once a foot ulcer develops, the limb is at high risk for invasive infection and, when combined with peripheral artery occlusive disease, the patient should be considered to have critical limb ischemia." (abstract, results)
    pubmedfull study (doi)
  • supports: The pathophysiology of diabetic foot: a narrative review. (Journal of Yeungnam medical science 2023) · cited 79x in the literature
    "The processes by which hyperglycemia causes peripheral nerve damage are related to adenosine triphosphate deficiency, the polyol pathway, oxidative stress, protein kinase C activity, and proinflammatory processes. In the context of hyperglycemia, the suppression of endothelial nitric oxide production leads to microcirculation atherosclerosis, heightened inflammation, and abnormal intimal growth... Hyperglycemia causes peripheral vascular changes that result in endothelial cell dysfunction and decreased vasodilator secretion, leading to ischemia. The interplay among these four preceding pathophysiological factors fosters the development and progression of infections in individuals with diabetes." (abstract, results, passage verified)
    pubmedfull study (doi)
  • supports: Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: Mechanisms and Emerging Therapies. (Biology 2026) · cited 2x in the literature
    "Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common and debilitating complication of diabetes mellitus which affects individuals with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), presenting with sensory loss, pain, and progressive nerve dysfunction... In addition to hyperglycemia-driven mechanisms, dyslipidemia and microvascular insufficiency exacerbate neural ischemia and metabolic stress." (abstract, results, passage verified)
    pubmedfull study (doi)
0:48:18Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

E-cigarette manufacturers alter the pH of nicotine solutions to reduce throat irritation and bypass the respiratory tract's natural aversion reflex.

"They changed the pH to allow it to go in easier to bypass that mechanism of saying, "No, don't do this."" (said at 0:48:18)

The claim is supported by chemical analyses and randomized clinical laboratory studies. E-cigarette formulations utilizing 'nicotine salts' incorporate organic acids (such as benzoic or lactic acid) to lower the pH of the aerosol and protonate free-base nicotine. This acidification significantly reduces throat harshness, upper airway irritation, and sensory aversion, allowing users to inhale higher concentrations of nicotine with larger puff volumes and reduced respiratory discomfort.

1:02:52Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

Hemochromatosis is a genetic condition characterized by excessive iron accumulation in the body.

"It's a genetic thing that you hold iron, and you have more of a problem holding iron. So, iron tends to accumulate." (said at 1:02:52)

The speaker's statement accurately defines hemochromatosis. Hereditary hemochromatosis is an inherited genetic disorder of iron metabolism (most commonly involving mutations in the HFE gene, as well as non-HFE genes such as HAMP, HJV, TFR2, or SLC40A1) characterized by dysregulated hepcidin activity, increased intestinal iron absorption, and progressive systemic iron accumulation in parenchymal tissues and organs.

1:03:03Eric Berg (host)supportedhigh

Periodic blood donation helps manage iron overload in people with hemochromatosis.

"So, you have to really make sure um you're probably going to have to just donate blood every so often, every 3 months. And um and you'll probably feel a lot better." (said at 1:03:03)

Therapeutic phlebotomy (venesection/blood removal) is the established first-line treatment for hereditary hemochromatosis to deplete excess iron stores and prevent end-organ complications such as liver cirrhosis and heart failure. After an initial induction phase that removes iron down to target levels, lifelong maintenance phlebotomy is typically performed at periodic intervals (commonly every 2 to 4 months, depending on iron accumulation rates) to maintain serum ferritin within a safe target range. Eligible individuals with hemochromatosis can frequently utilize voluntary blood donation programs to fulfill their maintenance phlebotomy requirements.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.