Are They Like Me? How to Find Out Who a Study Really Counted

In 1989, a landmark study found that aspirin cut first heart attacks by 44 percent. Every one of the 22,071 people in it was a man. When nearly 40,000 women were finally studied in 2005, aspirin did not lower their risk of a first heart attack at all.

A number is only as good as the people behind it. Before any study guides your choices, it's worth spending a few minutes finding out who it actually counted. Here's how.

Step 1: Find the "who"

Look in the first few lines of a study summary, often called the abstract, or in the news story about it. Search for words like "participants," "patients," "adults," "men," "women," or "aged."

Write down:

- How many people were studied

- Their sex

- Their ages

- What health problem they had

If a news story doesn't say, that's worth noting too.

Step 2: Look for who was left out

Studies often list who could not join. Look for words like "excluded" or "eligibility." Common exclusions include:

- People over a certain age

- Pregnant women, or women who could become pregnant

- People with more than one health condition

- People taking other medications

If you belong to a group that was left out, the answer may not have been tested on anyone like you.

Step 3: Check who stayed

Ask how many people started and how many finished. If many people dropped out, especially because of side effects, the results may look better than they really are.

Step 4: Put yourself side by side

Make two short columns. On the left, the people in the study. On the right, you. Compare sex, age, health conditions, and the medicines or supplements you take.

Then ask the most important question of all: are they like me?

Step 5: Ask your practitioner

You can bring this straight into your next appointment. A few simple questions:

- Was this tested in people like me?

- Is this dose the same for women and men?

- How does this interact with the other things I take?

A good practitioner will welcome these questions. They show you're a partner in your own care.

Studies tell us about groups. Your own daily record tells you about you. Your sleep, your energy, your symptoms, written down over time, make up the one study that's guaranteed to include you. Bring it with you.

A practice for today

Choose one health claim you've heard recently. Find the study behind it, or the news story about it, and fill in your two columns: the people in the study, and you. Then write one honest line: "This fits me," "This may not fit me," or "I need to know more."

Words to Carry

- A big number can still count the wrong people.

- I ask, "Who was in it?"

- I ask, "Who was left out?"

- I ask, "Are they like me?"

- My own record is a study that includes me.

With you every step of the way,

Dr. Jocelyn

References

Ridker, P. M., Cook, N. R., Lee, I.-M., et al. (2005). A randomized trial of low-dose aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women. New England Journal of Medicine, 352, 1293–1304.

Steering Committee of the Physicians' Health Study Research Group. (1989). Final report on the aspirin component of the ongoing Physicians' Health Study. New England Journal of Medicine, 321, 129–135.