4 ms·

Was it a double blind study?

physicsyogi 8y ago
The paper's abstract suggests it was not: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2707948 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar... >> Design, Setting, and Participants In this population-based prospective cohort study among French adult volunteers, data were included from participants with available information on organic food consumption frequency and dietary intake. For 16 products, participants reported their consumption frequency of labeled organic foods (never, occasionally, or most of the time).
pmiller2 8y ago
How exactly would you ethically conduct a double blind nutrition study that looks at cancer diagnoses in humans?
- stevew20 8y ago
  By making up the data
- scott_s 8y ago
  I don't think that's uncommon. You have something which you think reduces problem X, and you give it to half of your population, and a placebo to the other half. Over a long period of time, you observe the rate of problem X across both populations. I believe we have done this with many different kinds of problems, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, etc.
  - pmiller2 8y ago
    If it’s not uncommon, then it should be easy for you to cite one.
    - Confiks 8y ago
      Your reply is unnecessarily combative and short. Assume good faith in grandparent's reply, and preferably try to find out yourself and report back your findings. Meanwhile, have a bit to read on the ethics of placebo-controlled clinical trials (which is what is meant with "double blind" study here): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3844122 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3844122
      - pmiller2 8y ago
        I am familiar with the ethics of double blind studies involving human subjects, but thank you for the pointer. I am not aware of any involving broad nutritional interventions in cancer outcomes. BTW, when were you appointed moderator? Or do you just enjoy lecturing people on posting etiquette?
tomhoward 8y ago
Your question implies you believe that a placebo-controlled trial is the only kind of medical study that carries any weight. This is not true. It's only one kind of study. In this case, the study was looking for a correlation between diet and cancer diagnoses. All it needs to be valid is to conform to the scientific method. Placebo-controlled therapeutic trials are not the only kinds of studies that conform to the scientific method, and indeed not all of them do. Please try to avoid reflexively invoking this trope to unfairly dismiss potentially interesting studies.

The paper's abstract suggests it was not: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2707948 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar... >> Design, Setting, and Participants In this population-based prospective cohort study among French adult volunteers, data were included from participants with available information on organic food consumption frequency and dietary intake. For 16 products, participants reported their consumption frequency of labeled organic foods (never, occasionally, or most of the time).

pmiller2 8y ago

How exactly would you ethically conduct a double blind nutrition study that looks at cancer diagnoses in humans?

stevew20 8y ago
By making up the data
scott_s 8y ago
I don't think that's uncommon. You have something which you think reduces problem X, and you give it to half of your population, and a placebo to the other half. Over a long period of time, you observe the rate of problem X across both populations. I believe we have done this with many different kinds of problems, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, etc.
- pmiller2 8y ago
  If it’s not uncommon, then it should be easy for you to cite one.
  - Confiks 8y ago
    Your reply is unnecessarily combative and short. Assume good faith in grandparent's reply, and preferably try to find out yourself and report back your findings. Meanwhile, have a bit to read on the ethics of placebo-controlled clinical trials (which is what is meant with "double blind" study here): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3844122 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3844122
    - pmiller2 8y ago
      I am familiar with the ethics of double blind studies involving human subjects, but thank you for the pointer. I am not aware of any involving broad nutritional interventions in cancer outcomes. BTW, when were you appointed moderator? Or do you just enjoy lecturing people on posting etiquette?

tomhoward 8y ago

Your question implies you believe that a placebo-controlled trial is the only kind of medical study that carries any weight. This is not true. It's only one kind of study. In this case, the study was looking for a correlation between diet and cancer diagnoses. All it needs to be valid is to conform to the scientific method. Placebo-controlled therapeutic trials are not the only kinds of studies that conform to the scientific method, and indeed not all of them do. Please try to avoid reflexively invoking this trope to unfairly dismiss potentially interesting studies.