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Leena Pradhan-Nabzdyk, Ph.D., MBA, is an accomplished life scientist. As a faculty member at Harvard Medical School since 2005, she has successfully developed alliances between industry and academia. She’s developed and led multi-disciplinary research and development projects in the fields of diabetes, cardiovascular and allied areas. She serves as co-chair of the Women in Nutraceutical (WIN) science committee, and is a board member of Launch MN (Launch Minnesota) and the Jeremiah Program. Dr. Pradhan-Nabzdyk earned her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Tulane University, MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, and BSc in Biology from The University of Mumbai.

Scientifically Proven vs. Clinically Proven Claims

What are the differences between scientifically proven and clinically proven claims, and why is it important for consumers to understand these claims?

January 6, 2025

Leena Pradhan-Nabzdyk, CEO, Canomiks

With the new year, consumers are encountering more social media influencer testimonials, targeted online advertising, and print and broadcast ads for dietary supplements and products promoting health, wellness, and weight management.

We can assume that savvy, health-conscious, and skeptical consumers tend to buy dietary supplements with scientifically or clinically proven health claims, with the assumption that they have proven benefits. It's important for consumers to understand the meaning behind claims made in ads, especially on platforms like TikTok Shop, Instagram, and Amazon, where persuasive statements referring to science can influence purchasing decisions.

"Scientifically proven" is a broader term that encompasses a range of scientific research methodologies, while "clinically proven" is more focused on evidence derived from clinical trials. Both can convey a high level of reliability and validity in supporting a particular claim. Still, the context in which they are used provides more specific information about the type of research or evidence backing the claim. Both play an important role in the development of safe and efficacious health products. However, they are not interchangeable in the validation process of nutraceutical ingredients, dietary supplements, or pharmaceuticals.

Scientifically Proven

Scientific evidence or results supporting a claim is a result of rigorous scientific research and experimentation. These studies are mostly conducted in controlled laboratory settings, where variables are carefully controlled to isolate specific factors, and test specific outcomes. It’s often based on empirical evidence and follows the scientific method, which involves hypothesis formation, data collection, analysis, and peer review.

Some companies invest in research and development (R&D) to test and validate their ingredient and/or product claims, either using their in-house R&D resources or by outsourcing to contract research organizations. However, it’s common for dietary supplement companies, manufacturers, and ingredient suppliers to rely on research information about their ingredients and products from published literature sources such as PubMed to support their claims without explicitly conducting research on their own ingredients and products.

Currently, when a company claims to be "scientifically proven," it is difficult to discern whether a company conducted research on its ingredients and products or is relying on scientific literature databases like PubMed or others to make that claim.

Clinically Proven

Clinically proven specifically relates to evidence derived from clinical trials or studies conducted with human participants, typically in a medical or healthcare setting. Clinical trials are known as the “gold standard” and are designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of products, treatments, interventions, or therapies. Therefore, "clinically proven" suggests that the findings from these trials support the effectiveness of a particular treatment or intervention in treating a specific condition or wellness outcome. Similar to "scientifically proven," dietary supplement companies, manufacturers, and ingredient supplier companies may rely on the literature of published clinical trials to claim "clinically proven" rather than explicitly conducting clinical trials using their own ingredients and products.

The challenge is that consumers often see "clinically proven" and assume the product has undergone rigorous trials, when it may only contain clinically researched ingredients or products from publicly available research.

Science-Based Solutions

At Canomiks, we offer lab-based solutions to help companies create scientific evidence, with customized pre-clinical testing for their own ingredients and formulations. We believe it’s critical to have solid pre-clinical scientific evidence prior to the clinical trial testing especially given the complicated supply chain of many botanical ingredients This helps verify safety, efficacy, reduce additional R&D costs, and avoid the risk of clinical trial failure. Canomiks’ innovative solutions help promote truth, transparency, and trust for health and wellness brands, products, and the natural products industry, helping to build consumer confidence and ensuring that claims are supported by reliable evidence.