And More Supplements Behaving Badly

I wrote a post a week or so ago about research that shows that taking chondroitin sulfate may actually trigger melanoma tumor growth. And then this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (better known as the FDA) released a press announcement calling out three separate dietary supplements that claim to provide protection from sunburn, skin aging, and even skin cancer.

If you are taking or thinking about purchasing any of the products listed in the announcement, consider the one sentence that really stood out to me – There’s no pill or capsule that can replace your sunscreen.

The FDA sent warning letters to these companies stating that they are making unproven claims and that it is illegal for them to market their products in the manner that they currently are doing. These companies would have to correct the violations that the FDA called out in their letter and stop making claims that aren’t proven. The press announcement went on to say that consumers should be careful of unscrupulous companies making dubious claims. That’s fairly strong language for a federal agency (particularly in this political climate).

Look, I get that it would be nice to be able to take a pill that would magically protect you from the sun, make your skin youthful, and make you irresistible to supermodels and/or Chris Hemsworth. (And if anyone has that pill and can prove it does what it claims, I’ll be first in line for it…) But the fact of the matter is that these companies have not been able to scientifically prove that these pills can protect you from the damaging effects of the sun like a physical application of sunscreen can.