An article in the journal BMC Medicine reported on a study designed to study the effect of diet on depression. Subjects suffering from moderate to severe depression were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a diet intervention group and a social support control group. The 33 subjects in the diet intervention group received counseling and support to adhere to a “ModiMedDiet,” based primarily on a Mediterranean diet. The 34 subjects in the social support group participated in a “befriending” protocol, where trained personnel engaged in conversation and activities with participants. At the end of a 12-week period, 11 of the diet intervention group achieved remission from depression compared to 3 of the control group.

a. Find and compare the sample percentage of remission for each group.
b. Was this a controlled experiment or an observational study? Explain.
c. Can we conclude that the diet caused a remission in depression? Why or why not?

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Diet Support (Control) (Intervention) Remission 11 3 No Remission 22 31