The Scam of Skin Antioxidant Testing
A while back, a friend of mine asked me about this product:
It's a biophotonic scanner made by a company called Pharmanex. This product measures carotenoid levels in the skin. Carotenoids are antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables. Beta-carotene is one carotenoid that you may be familiar with. Other carotenoids include lutein and lycopene, to name just a few. Many scientists believe that carotenoids may be partly responsible for the observed associations between increased fruit and vegetable intake and lower risk of many diseases.
The company claims that this scanner can give you an "accurate and reliable biomarker of your overall antioxidant health status". They further state that, "Getting your Skin Carotenoid Score makes you aware of the antioxidant levels in your body-and gives you the push you need to improve your overall antioxidant health." To appear scientific, their website is complete with a scientific advisory board, a list of scientists, and even a list of studies that they claim supports their product.
Well, it's B.S.
OK, it's not complete B.S. The product does do what it claims to do....it measures carotenoid levels in the skin using a technique called Raman Spectroscopy.
While that's fine and dandy, what is B.S. is their claim that it is a reliable biomarker of your overall antioxidant status. There is simply no evidence that carotenoid skin levels reflect the overall antioxidant status of your body.
Carotenoid skin levels do correlate with fruit and vegetable intake, so the test can tell you if you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. But do you need an expensive scanner to tell you if you're eating a lot of fruits and vegetables?
And what do you think the company recommends you do if you have a low skin carotenoid score? Buy their antioxidant supplements, of course.
This isn't the first time Pharmanex has spread outlandish claims. In 1997, they were fined by the Federal Trade Commission over claims they made about two supplements they sold.
The fact is that this scanner is nothing more than a fancy way to take your money and to get you to buy things that you don't need. There is no evidence that skin carotenoid status is a reflection of overall antioxidant status. You do not need an expensive test to know if you're consuming a lot fruits and vegetables. Also, there is little scientific evidence that supplemental antioxidants have any health benefits. In fact, too many antioxidants can have a pro-oxidant effect, and may also reduce your own body's antioxidant defense systems. We are a bit too antioxidant crazy in our society....a topic that I will get to in another blog post.
I just got scanned today and my rateis 86000. The person who did the test was shocked. However, he said that there is still room for improvement and I need to take supplements. Average joe is between 40000,-50000. Wtf
It’s the problem of a good tool in the wrong hands. I got scanned last week and scored 65000. My person said “good job” and “keep up the good health”. Although it is not a perfect tool, I think, as of today, it is the best non-invasive base line test out there. I have been a fitness and wellness professional for 20 years with a college degree in the field. I don’t believe in supplementing for no good reason.
So, Jack, I say “Good job and keep up the good health!”
Agree to disagree. State your case and leave it at that. The stress is creating free radicals that are eating up your cells and making you more susceptible to illness. I am pro scanner and pro quality supplements because I do not want to eat a ton of fruits a veggies everyday. There is also something missing in the discussion and that is the soil that are fruits and vegetables are grown in. It has eroded away and does not contain the nutrients it once did hundreds of years ago.
There’s no scientific evidence to support the claim that the soil “doesn’t contain the nutrients it once did.” If you have references to peer-reviewed scientific studies showing the contrary, please provide them
James,
My concern is that the baby is getting thrown out with the bathwater.
Let’s get to the bottom of this.
Publish your suggested design for a scientific study to prove or disprove the subject. Once the design is agreed to I will fund the study.
Do you know how much an RCT costs?
Yes
Out of curiosity, how much do you think an RCT of this nature would cost?
James, Go read the book. : Conversation on Chealation by Dwayne Ashmead You’ll find plenty of studies in there on soil nutrient content from all over the world. If you think your so smart go put your resume in at Pharmanex and let’s see how it stands up to 75 PhD Scientists and the following groups: The Pharmanex BioPhotonic Scanner has been showcased in relation with the following associations: Experimental Biology Gordon Research Conferences New York Academy of Sciences Oxygen Club of California American Society of Nutritional Sciences Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research American College of Nutrition Journal of Biomedical… Read more »
Apparently you’ve never been to any of these scientific conferences. I have. I’ve been to Experimental Bio and have presented research there myself (like this study which I published in JAP). “Showcasing” at these conferences means it’s been displayed in the commercial booth section, along with all sorts of other products that people are trying to sell. You’ll find plenty of studies in there on soil nutrient content from all over the world. That doesn’t mean those studies are relevant to your claims. Just throwing out references, which you seem to like to do, doesn’t mean anything. You need to… Read more »
No James I feel you missed the point. Facts: 1. device does measure carotenoids in the skin 2. carotenoids in the skin are the most reliable quantifier that we currently have of fruit and vegetable carotenoid absorption. 3. having sufficient carotenoid levels is good for the body. 4. The USDA recommends 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day but because of genetics we all do not get the same amount of nutrition from the 5 servings. If we are all the same genetically and all got the same benefit from the 5 servings then you would be correct that… Read more »
And you also missed the point. 1. Yes it does. I never argued that it didn’t. 2. Plasma levels work just as well. Also, this is for GROUP LEVEL DATA. That’s fine if you’re doing observational or epidemiological research, looking at population relationships between carotenoid levels (as an objective biomarker rather than self-report) and health outcomes. But on an INDIVIDUAL level, it’s fairly useless, as there are no scientifically validated thresholds to determine what is “good”. For example, the R-squared values for the correlation between self-reported fruit/vegetable intake and skin carotenoids is only around 0.3, meaning only 30% of the… Read more »
8 years and 300,000 scans later and this fruit cake still has his blog up with over 60 peer reviewed studies done on the technology and used at Yale Cancer Center.
At what point is ignorance exposed?
Peer-reviewed studies that show that the device can measure carotenoids in the skin.
That’s not the point, and you completely missed the point. It’s a scam that you somehow need to measure your skin carotenoids, or that it will give you any useful actionable information, other than perhaps eating more fruits and vegetables. But nobody needs a scan to know if they eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. And it’s a scam because if you score low, they try to sell you their supplements to “correct” things.
So you get a bad vision report and accuse the eye doctor of trying to sell you glasses?
Let’s try better logic for you: Ok! You eat 6 veggies because your smart and can count to 6…right? Now tell me how much nutrients you absorb & utilized from those 6…you can’t!!! And you can’t tell how much oxidative stress effected those 6 can you??? NO! That’s why you need a measure tool!!!
Your fit right? Are you really healthy?? How do you know?!?
Get measured!!
Do you know if the antioxidant status is higher or lower in an obese person
by a blood test?
You CAN’T!
Because the blood test won’t reflect the absorption & saturation of the antioxidant network in fat tissue!
So therefore you don’t know how many fruits & vegetables a person that’s obese should be eating because you don’t know how much fat tissue needs to be penetrated in order to offset oxidative stress due to the fat.
Hi Clare, In January of this year I was diagnosed with an immune disease. I was very unwell, having been admitted to hospital the July prior. I commenced taking YSpan as well as made dietary changes. My first reading (when I was inflamed and sick) was very low. My next reading was slightly higher and the 60 day reading significantly higher. By this stage I’m feeling alot better and almost back to a normal life. I have no idea if I can attribute my wellness to YSpan, diet or medication (Although my specialist didn’t think my initial improvement was due… Read more »
Good morning.
I’m interested in learning more about you skepticism. I consume more antioxidants than most people through natural products vs supplements.
Would you be willing to share your credentials in order for me to further understand your stance on biophotonic scanners?
Thank you,
Paul
I was recently scanned and was shocked to receive a low result given my exceptionally healthy lifestyle and diet. I searched the net to see if there were any negative reviews because I could not make sense of the result.
Dummy. the renown Dr Joel Fuhrman uses it and all of his patients are testimonials to the thing being accurate. And he’s the biggest skeptic on earth. Every one of his books and papers are meticulously documented. And he doesn’t sell the supplements he is an 80% Raw foodist. Ask any of them when they have a direct correlation from the increase of mostly RAW dark leafy greens, and vegs from when they start their treatment with him for various diseases like cardio and diabetes….compared to the subsequent months ALSO in correlation to when their lipid, glucose and insulin problems… Read more »
“renown Dr Joel Fuhrman” Renowned? lolololololololol Hold on again….lololololololol “all of his patients are testimonials to the thing being accurate” Accurate for what? “And he’s the biggest skeptic on earth. Every one of his books and papers are meticulously documented.” Meticulously documented doesn’t make one a skeptic. Gary Taubes’s GCBC book was meticulously referenced but many of his references don’t check out or even show the opposite of what he claims. “he is an 80% Raw foodist” Is this a religion? “The man has acres and acres of property with his own gardens he tends to himself, for crrisakes.” Lots… Read more »
I just had the test done and got 84. The scannist was shocked!
I agree very much of the article says. Those who claims research says so are definitely part of this scam. There are research going on, but it has never been definitive. They are either sellers/distributors or users who has wasted much money to even admit they are wrong. The fact of the matter is, the pyramid schemes use such unfinished research to fund the egos and blank minds of users, who also failed to see the point of this article – 1. the machine is an just an expensive crap (i can tell if I ate a lot of fibers… Read more »