Placebo-Controlled Study

A placebo-controlled study is a research method used to test whether a new treatment or drug is effective. Participants are randomly assigned to two groups: one receives the real treatment, and the other gets a placebo—a substance that looks and tastes like the real treatment but has no active ingredients. Neither the participants nor the researchers know who gets which, which helps eliminate bias. Comparing outcomes between the two groups allows researchers to determine if the new treatment has a genuine effect beyond the placebo effect, ensuring the results are accurate and reliable.