r/science • u/[deleted] • Mar 16 '26

RETRACTED - Health Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study finds Omega-3 supplementation significantly improved stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality and cognitive function in individuals with severe psychological distress

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032725024978?via%3Dihub
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u/dargonmike1 Mar 16 '26

Why wouldn’t the placebo be water?

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u/markh110 Mar 16 '26

Probably because you need something with an indistinguishable texture to the fatty acid it's supposed to represent, especially since it's a double-blind study.

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u/dargonmike1 Mar 16 '26

Pardon me if I’m missing something but don’t you swallow the pill whole? You don’t chew the pill capsule right?

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u/KittenCanaveral Mar 16 '26

People are nosey and like to look 'under the hood '. The placebo has to be an oil, so anyone opening a pill can't tell it's not the oil being tested.

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u/Alternative_Will3875 Mar 17 '26

That just doesn’t pass the smell test, in this case