Dark Chocolate for Good Health A study¹ examines chocolate's effects on blood vessel function in healthy people. In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 11 people received 46 grams (1.6 ounces) of dark chocolate (which is naturally flavonoid-rich) every day for two weeks, while a control group of 10 people received a placebo consisting of dark chocolate with low flavonoid content. Participants had their vascular health measured (by means of flow-mediated dilation) before and after the two-week study. The increase over the two-week period was measured, with larger numbers indicating greater vascular health. For the group getting the good dark chocolate, the mean increase was 1.3 with a standard deviation of 2.32, while the control group had a mean change of -0.96 with a standard deviation of 1.58. ¹Engler, M., et. al., "Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate improves endothelial function and increases plasma epicatechin concentrations in healthy adults," Journal of the…

"Does ginkgo improve memory?" The law allows marketers of herbs and other natural substances to make health claims that are not supported by evidence. Brands of ginkgo extract claim to "improve memory and concentration." A randomized experiment found some statistically significant evidence for such effects. The subjects were 250 healthy volunteers over 65 years old. They were randomly assigned to take ginkgo or a placebo pill (a dummy pill that looks and tastes the same). All the subjects took a battery of tests for learning and memory before treatment started and again after six weeks. a). The article said the study was double-blind. What does this mean in the context of this study? Be very specific on who's being blinded and explain why they should be blinded. b). You suspect physical fitness and mental fitness go hand-in-hand. Create a flow chart to describe a design for an experiment to include the confounding variable physical fitness. Be very specific in your design. Include all…

Calcium and Blood Pressure Does increasing the amount of calcium in our diet reduce blood pressure? Examination of a large sample of people revealed a relationship between calcium intake and blood pressure. Such observational studies do not establish causation. Researchers therefore designed a randomized comparative experiment. The subjects were 21 healthy men who volunteered to take part in the experiment. They were randomly assigned to two groups: 10 of the men received a calcium supplement for 12 weeks, while the control group of 11 men received a placebo pill that looked identical. The experiment was double-blind. The response variable is the decrease in systolic (top number) blood pressure for a subject after 12 weeks, in millimeters of mercury. An increase appears as a negative number. Do the data provide convincing evidence that a calcium supplement reduces blood pressure more than a placebo, on average, for subjects like the ones in this study? Group 1 (calcium) Group (placebo)…