The “gold standard” of clinical pharmaceutical research is and continues to be what’s called a placebo-controlled, randomized double-blind study.

But what does that mean?

You may have heard the word “placebo” used alternately with “sugar pill”. What both terms mean is simply that the substance is not active and should do nothing, while the active substance does (or doesn’t do) what it’s suspected to do. The person taking it doesn’t know which one they’re getting. Another term you probably know, the “placebo effect,” is where a product works because a researcher or participant believes in the product, and may not be reporting their objective experience. “Randomized” means just that: random. In a study, some patients are given the placebo, and some are given the “active” subject of the test (in our case, Syntra5) without any other qualifications. In order to avoid bias from researchers or participants, a randomized study doesn’t follow a pattern administering either pill. The unpredictability helps keep the test objective. And when we call a researcher or subject “blind,” we just mean that person doesn’t know who is receiving an active medication and who’s receiving a placebo. You’ve heard the term “single-blind,” which means the subject doesn’t know which one they’re taking. In a double-blind study, you guessed it: neither the researcher nor the subject know if they’re taking a placebo or an active. Double-blind studies help eliminate biases and the “placebo effect” . And why is this important? Dietary supplements are subject to different regulations, and therefore do not usually have a reason to undergo double-blind testing. As a dietary supplement, Syntra5 is unique in that it has undergone this more rigorous testing.