Superfoods Research & Evidence-Based Practice 2

Question 1

What does a 'randomized controlled trial' (RCT) on superfoods provide that an observational study cannot?

Accepted Answer

Direct evidence of cause and effect

Answer

RCTs randomly assign participants to treatment or control groups, allowing researchers to isolate the effect of a specific superfood and establish causation rather than mere correlation.

Question 2

A study finds that blueberry consumption is associated with lower blood pressure in people who also exercise regularly. This is best described as an example of:

Accepted Answer

Effect modification (interaction)

Answer

Effect modification occurs when the relationship between two variables (blueberries and blood pressure) changes depending on a third variable (exercise level).

Question 3

Which biomarker is most commonly used in studies to assess the antioxidant effects of superfoods in vivo?

Accepted Answer

Plasma F2-isoprostanes

Answer

F2-isoprostanes are stable oxidative stress markers formed from lipid peroxidation and are considered a reliable biomarker of oxidative damage in human studies.

Question 4

The PREDIMED trial is frequently cited in superfood research. What dietary pattern did it primarily investigate?

Accepted Answer

Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts

Answer

PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) studied the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts versus a low-fat control diet for cardiovascular outcomes.

Question 5

When a superfood study reports a relative risk reduction of 30% but the absolute risk reduction is only 0.3%, which interpretation is more clinically meaningful?

Accepted Answer

The absolute risk reduction, because it reflects real-world impact

Answer

Absolute risk reduction tells practitioners how many fewer events occur per 100 people treated, making it more actionable than relative figures that can seem large even with tiny baseline risks.

Superfoods Practice Test

Superfoods Practice Test

Superfoods Research & Evidence-Based Practice 2