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The effect of placebo on endurance capacity in normal weight children - a randomized trial
Shira Fanti-Oren1, Daphna Birenbaum-Carmeli1, Alon Eliakim2
1Cheryl Spencer Department of Nursing, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Insights
The placebo effect significantly improved children's endurance capacity during exercise tests. Positive information about a drink enhanced performance, suggesting potential for encouraging physical activity in youth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Physiology
- Sports Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- The influence of psychological factors on physical performance in children is an area of growing interest.
- Understanding the placebo effect in pediatric populations is crucial for interpreting exercise test results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the placebo effect on the endurance capacity of normal-weight children.
- To determine if providing positive information about a beverage can alter exercise performance in children.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-four pre-pubertal children (aged 6-13 years) underwent anthropometric measurements and a graded treadmill exercise test.
- Participants completed the test twice, receiving either standard information about water or positive information about a placebo (presumed energy drink).
- Endurance capacity was assessed by peak heart rate, stage achieved, time to exhaustion, and rate of perceived exertion (RPE).
Main Results:
- Children exhibited significantly higher peak heart rate, achieved a higher exercise stage, and exercised longer to exhaustion after consuming the placebo drink.
- Despite increased physical exertion, children reported significantly lower average and peak rates of perceived exertion (RPE) with the placebo.
- Recovery time was also significantly shorter following the placebo intervention, independent of test order, age, gender, or activity level.
Conclusions:
- A significant information placebo effect was observed in children's endurance capacity test results.
- Positive information, acting as a placebo, can enhance children's physical performance.
- Further research is needed to explore the applicability of this placebo effect in longer-term physical activity interventions for children.
Background:
The aim of the study was to examine the influence of the placebo effect on the endurance capacity results in normal weight children.
Methods:
Twenty-four pre-pubertal normal-weight children aged 6-13 years participated in the study. Subjects underwent anthropometric measurements (weight, height, BMI percentile, and fat percentage), a progressive treadmill exercise test to evaluate endurance capacity, and filled habitual activity questionnaire. The participants were examined twice, in a random order, with each child being compared to him/herself. Different types of information were provided regarding a water drink consumed prior to testing- standard information (water) vs. deliberate positive information (presumed energy drink, placebo).
Results:
Following the placebo drink, children demonstrated significantly higher peak pulse (177.9 ± 13.6 vs. 189.8 ± 12.2 bpm), higher stage achieved and longer time of exercise to exhaustion (700.1 ± 155.2 vs. 893.3 ± 150.1 s). Although the exercise duration was longer, stage and heart rate achieved were higher, the reported average, and peak rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were significantly lower for the placebo (18.3 ± 1.4 vs 16.2 ± 1.5). Although the effort was higher while drinking placebo (longer run, higher exercise phase, higher heart rate), recovery time was significantly shorter. The reported differences were not associated with order of tests, age, gender or child activity level.
Conclusion:
Our results demonstrate a significant information placebo effect on children's endurance capacity test results. This highlights the possible role of positive information (placebo) in trying to encourage physical activity in children. Whether this effect could be applied to longer-term interventions has yet to be tested.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT03165604 , Registered May 24, 2017.
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