Obama ripped into Dr. Oz's history of bogus medical claims while campaigning for Fetterman, calling him a 'snake oil' salesman

• Former President Barack Obama campaigned for John Fetterman in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
• Obama mocked Dr. Oz, Fetterman's opponent for pushing questionable health recommendations.

Former President Barack Obama on Saturday mocked Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz for his past health recommendations, accusing him of selling "snake oil."

Obama was in Pittsburgh campaigning for Oz's Democratic opponent, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. The former president homed in on Oz's past as a celebrity doctor and TV show host who had pushed several medical claims not backed by science, saying he has "answers" but that they're the "wrong ones."

"You want to lose weight? Take raspberry ketones. Got leg cramps? Try lavender soap. Want to prevent dementia? Palm oil! A miracle solution," Obama said, appearing to hold back laughter. "Never mind that none of these things have been proven to work, in some cases might be harmful. You've just got to believe and then hand over your credit card information."

He went on to say that it was easy to joke about Oz's "quack remedies" but they said something about the doctor's character.

"If somebody is willing to peddle snake oil to make a buck, then he's probably willing to sell snake oil to get elected," Obama said.

All of the products Obama mentioned were pushed on Oz's show, despite no scientific evidence that they worked, as Insider previously reported. Oz called raspberry ketones, the compound that gives the fruit its smell, "the No. 1 miracle in a bottle to burn your fat" and suggested that putting a bar of lavender soap under your sheets could help you sleep, among other unsubstantiated claims.

Oz — who is worth more than $100 million — and his show raked in millions from companies whose products he promoted, the Associated Press reported.

"I like Mehmet Oz, but we did a lot of bull - - - - when I worked there," Dr. Gregory Katz, a cardiologist who worked on Oz's show, told AP.

In a statement provided to AP, Oz's campaign said the show was "very diligent about disclosing" its paid partnerships. "I am very proud I was able to help so many people by bringing more transparency to health and wellness," Oz said.

Obama was campaigning for Fetterman — whose speech has been impacted by a stroke he had in May — ahead of the election on Tuesday. The closely watched race could help determine whether Republicans or Democrats win control of the Senate.

A representative for Oz did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.