Home truths

It is well known that people with darker skin get deeper tans and burn less quickly than other people.

The Claim: Darker Skin Protects Against Skin Cancer
The Facts: It is well known that people with darker skin get deeper tans and burn less quickly than other people. But does that mean better protection against skin cancer? The answer is not clear-cut.

Although darker-skinned people face a lower risk of skin cancer, they are more likely to develop more aggressive forms of the disease and more likely to die from it.
Dark skin has higher amounts of melanin that can filter as much as twice the amount of ultraviolet radiation as paler skin. But that protection still falls short of what doctors recommend when using sunscreen: a skin protection factor, or SPF, of 15 or more. And because many people with dark skin believe that it provides complete immunity, experts say, they often overlook early warning signs.

A 2006 study in The Archives of Internal Medicine looked at more than 1,500 people with melanoma. It found that whites were far less likely to have late-stage melanoma than blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asians. On average, whites also had a greater five-year survival rate 90 per cent than the others less than 80 per cent.

Another study last year in The Archives of Dermatology looked at 1,700 cases of melanoma reported in Florida over a five-year period and had similar results.

The Bottom Line: People with darker skin tones have a lower risk of skin cancer, but are more likely to die from it.

The Claim: CLA supplements can help you lose weight
The Facts: It has been called a miracle pill, able to help you shed fat, lose weight and build muscle. It can be found in health food stores all over, but is CLA 8212; also known as conjugated linoleic acid 8212; all it8217;s cracked up to be?

Discovered more than two decades ago, the substance is popular among dieters and body builders, and reportedly reduces body fat gain and enhances lean body mass. Over the years, a number of studies have found that CLA, unlike many other supplements, may actually help users trim fat. But it also carries side effects.

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The most recent study was published this month in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The report, a meta-analysis that pooled the results of more than a dozen randomised studies, found that people who took 3.2 grams of CLA a day showed a drop in fat mass of about 0.2 pounds a week8212;or nearly a pound a month 8212; compared with those given a placebo. The researchers, at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, concluded that the supplement 8216;8216;produces a modest loss in body fat in humans.8217;8217;

But other studies have hinted at serious adverse health effects. Researchers have found that it can increase blood levels of C-reactive protein, lipoprotein and leptin 8212; all of which can heighten the risk of heart disease.

There is also some evidence that taking CLA daily increases insulin resistance, a sign of impending Type 2 diabetes. The Bottom Line: Studies have found that CLA supplements can produce slight reductions in body fat, but that it may carry health risks.
8212;The New York Times