mechanistic
Analysis v1
Strong Support
If powerlifters think they’re taking steroids but are actually told it’s just a placebo, their performance boost goes away — meaning the mind plays a big role in the gains they thought came from drugs.
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0
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
20
Community contributions welcome
20
Expectancy effects and strength training: do steroids make a difference?
Cross-Sectional Study
Human
The study shows that when power lifters thought they were taking steroids, they got stronger, but when told it was just a sugar pill, their performance gains went away—proving belief plays a big role.
Contradicting (0)
0
Community contributions welcome
No contradicting evidence found
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.