A very small fraction of studies actually publish the ingredients to their placebo. Thus, the assumption that the placebo can have no chemical effect on participants is not the most reliable. In one case an AIDS treatment was tested against a placebo that contain dairy. A fraction of the control group was lactose intolerant (AIDS patients are at increased risk). Long story short: the drug looked great because the placebo was killing the control group. In cholesterol medication studies some meds were tested against placebos that contained corn or olive oil which may have cholesterol reducing properties, understating the effectiveness of the drug.
If you say so, though I don’t understand why that would be necessary—capsules look and taste the same no matter what’s in them.
Edit: I was interested, so I looked it up. The claims likely come from this Reuters article, which references this research paper, which seems legit. Depressing.
Something else to keep in mind:
A very small fraction of studies actually publish the ingredients to their placebo. Thus, the assumption that the placebo can have no chemical effect on participants is not the most reliable. In one case an AIDS treatment was tested against a placebo that contain dairy. A fraction of the control group was lactose intolerant (AIDS patients are at increased risk). Long story short: the drug looked great because the placebo was killing the control group. In cholesterol medication studies some meds were tested against placebos that contained corn or olive oil which may have cholesterol reducing properties, understating the effectiveness of the drug.
Jeez, is this true? It seems such an obvious precaution to take. I mean, what’s wrong with simple saline, anyway?
It’s mainly an issue with pills where they try to make them look and taste similar to the drug.
If you say so, though I don’t understand why that would be necessary—capsules look and taste the same no matter what’s in them.
Edit: I was interested, so I looked it up. The claims likely come from this Reuters article, which references this research paper, which seems legit. Depressing.