Open-label placebos reduce weight in obesity: a randomized controlled trial

Obesity is a major public health problem worldwide. Different approaches are known to face this problem, for example, dieting, surgery, or drug interventions. It has also been shown that placebos may help to reduce weight and hunger feelings, but the use of placebos is linked to problems with respect to the patient-healthcare-provider relationship. However, recent studies demonstrated that even placebos without deception (open-label placebos) affect symptoms such as pain, anxiety, or emotional distress. Here we aimed to examine whether an open-label placebo may help to lose weight in obesity. Our study included fifty-seven overweight and obese patients who aimed to lose weight using a combination of diet and sports. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Participants in the open-label placebo group received two placebos each day. A treatment-as-usual group received no pills. Primary outcome included changes of body weight. Secondary outcomes were change of eating behavior and self-management abilities. After 4 weeks we found that participants in the open-label placebo condition lost more weight than the treatment-as-usual group. Furthermore, OLP treatment affected eating behavior. No effects for self-management abilities were found. Although further research is necessary, open-label placebos might help individuals to lose weight.