By Andrew Black

Copyright bbc

Indigo Sun, which has more than 100 tanning salons across the UK, ran an ad on its website on 4 April 4 called “The Health Benefits of Tanning”.

The advert’s voiceover stated: “New research proves that moderate, responsible use of sunbeds brings major health benefits.”

The ad went on to claim a recent University of Edinburgh study found “higher UV exposure whether from sunlight or tanning beds is linked to reduced deaths from cancer and heart disease”.

The voiceover continued: “The research also showed that sunbed use was not associated with melanoma mortality.”

The ASA investigated after an NHS doctor complained the university study, published in a scientific journal, was used out of context.

The watchdog said the study was about the link between UV exposure, including sunlight, and deaths among older adults, adding: “That differed significantly from the claims in the ad, which were focused specifically on the health benefits of sunbed use only.”

The ASA also said said the age-range of the people who took part was not representative of the UK population, adding: “For those reasons, we concluded that the ad made misleading and unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of sunbed use.”