Monday, March 14, 2011

observational study, trial or experiment?

I also have not distinguished between these. From GarySchwitzer, director of the Duke Stroke Center at Duke University Medical Center  and his blog on
http://getbetterhealth.com/coffee-and-stroke-another-study-the-media-got-wrong/2011.03.14

Coffee And Stroke: Another Study The Media Got Wrong

It was a big study, but an observational study. Not a trial. Not an experiment. And, as we say so many times on this website that you could almost join along with the chorus, observational studies have inherent limitations that should always be mentioned in stories. They can’t prove cause and effect. They can show a strong statistical association, but they can’t prove cause and effect. So you can’t prove benefit or risk reduction. And stories should say that.

So be forewarned and ask your doctors what these mean.
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1 comment:

  1. Glynis JollyMarch 14, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    I love coffee so I'll just keep drinking it. I do know that aspirin is good for thinning the blood. That's why it works to relieve headaches. Anacin is just aspirin with caffeine. It works just like aspirin but works a little faster and makes me feel a little more alert. Sounds like a good thing for a stroke survivor to me.

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