A Report in a Medical Journal Notes That the Risk

question 19

Multiple Choice

A report in a medical journal notes that the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease among subjects who (voluntarily) regularly took the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (the active ingredient in Advil) was about half the risk among those who did not. Is this good evidence that ibuprofen is effective in preventing Alzheimer's disease?

• A) Yes, because the study was a randomized, comparative experiment.
• B) No, because the effect of ibuprofen is confounded with the placebo effect.
• C) Yes, because the results were published in a reputable professional journal.
• D) No, because this is an observational study. A clinical trial would be needed to confirm (or not confirm) the observed effect.
• E) Yes, because a 50% reduction can't happen just by chance.