Placebos, or fake supplements, may have real benefits for older people, according to a new study by psychologists at Milan’s Cattolica University. After taking the placebo pills for three weeks, participants saw improvements in both their physical performance and cognitive function. Surprisingly, the effect was seen even when participants knew the pill contained no active ingredient.
This study International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychologyled by Diretta Balbiani, Alessandro Antonietti and Francesco Panini. This was supported by a PNRR grant through the Age-IT project.
“This study is part of a well-established series of studies analyzing the role of the mind in the aging process, which is of great importance,” says Panini, full professor of clinical psychology at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cattolica.
Testing the Placebo Effect in Healthy Aging
Until now, no studies have investigated whether traditional placebos affect the ability to naturally decline with age.
Professor Panini explains: “Our goal was to find out whether open-label placebo therapy (i.e., when the person administering it is aware that it is a placebo) or a fake supplement (when people are unaware that it is a placebo) can affect the psychological, cognitive, and physical functioning of community-dwelling older people.”
To explore this question, researchers recruited 90 healthy older adults and randomly assigned them to one of three groups. One group received no treatment at all. The second group was given a placebo pill, which they were told contained an active ingredient designed to improve their well-being and physical function. A third group received the same inert pill, but was openly informed that the pill was a placebo that could cause beneficial reactions in the mind and body.
Before and after the three-week study, participants completed a questionnaire that provided information on perceived stress levels, mental health, sleepiness, fatigue, optimism, self-efficacy, and stereotypes about aging. They also took objective tests measuring short-term memory, selective attention, and physical performance.
Improving memory, stress, and physical performance
After three weeks, participants who deliberately took the placebo pills experienced lower stress levels than both the group who took the deceptive placebo pills and the control group. They also showed significant improvements in short-term memory compared to those who did not receive the intervention.
Overall, both placebo groups showed improvements in cognitive and physical performance, but the strongest improvements were generally seen in participants who knew they were taking the placebo.
Physical performance increased by 7% in the sham placebo group and 9.2% in the open-label placebo group. Cognitive abilities have also improved. Depending on the specific test, scores increased by 12.6% to 14.6% for participants who believed they were taking the real supplement, while scores increased by 6.9% to 21.5% for participants who knowingly took a placebo.
“These are important effects,” the psychologists stress, “comparable to the effects seen in some experimental studies of physical activity on physical performance and cognitive training, especially memory.”
Researchers also observed a decrease in sleepiness. Stress levels improved most significantly among participants who were aware they were taking a placebo.
A new approach to healthy aging?
The results of this study suggest that placebo treatment can improve some aspects of function in older adults, with open-label placebos being as effective as, and in some cases better than, sham placebos.
According to the researchers, this makes open-label placebo a promising and ethically acceptable strategy to support healthy aging.
Professor Panini said the results further supported the scientific evidence that the mind plays an important role in the aging process. Thoughts, emotions, and self-awareness can affect not only psychological well-being, but also physical performance and cognitive function, highlighting the powerful connection between mind and body.
