Food Snow Effect

The snow effect of food is a fairly new research topic. Researchers have begun to understand the extent to which foods can affect health and disease. And while the food we eat really affects our well-being and health, the truth is that they are also affected by some food-related beliefs.

Some dishes are advertised as if magical. Other foods, on the other hand, are said to have specific effects on certain organs or the health of a particular part of the body. And those effects seem to be coming true for some people.

These effects, both magical and precise, have sparked talk about the snow effect of food. Is it possible that food can have a similar effect as placebo? Let’s look at it more.

Snow effect

The snow effect has been known to us since the 19th century, thanks to the British physician John Haygarth. Since then, experts have made systematic use of the information, both in testing new drugs and in the treatment itself. The placebo effect is such that a person takes a drug (generally it is a drug) and believes it to be exactly what he is told it to be. However, placebo is not that medicine but something else. The placebo effect occurs when a person nevertheless notices an improvement in his condition or illness.

Today, we know that expensive placebo is more effective than cheap placebo. In fact, even if it is just a “medicine” made of sugar, a sugar pill, it is more effective if it is expensive. Similarly, researchers have found that red pills have a better effect than blue ones.

The placebo effect was long considered a result of suggestion or “wrong drugs”. Later, however, thanks to modern tools, studies have shown that placebo does indeed cause positive changes in the brain. This in turn helps people heal.

Studies on the placebo effect of food

The placebo effect of food is then a newer area of ​​research than the placebo effect of drugs. One of its pioneers is Dr. Alia Crum, who works as a clinical psychologist and researcher at Columbia Business School. One of his best known experiments has to do with calories.

In this experiment, one group of volunteers was told that each participant would receive a milkshake containing 640 calories to drink. Participants in the second group were told that the number of calories in the milkshake was 140. In fact, all the volunteers in both groups received a very similar milkshake with 340 calories. Those who believed the milkshake was high in calories quickly felt full. Participants in the second group, on the other hand, began to feel hungry very soon.

Other similar studies have shown that people’s body weight can even drop or rise because of such beliefs. Many studies on the subject show that food may indeed have a placebo effect. People’s firm belief that food produces the expected effect again causes the snow effect to come true.

The strength of the snow effect

Advances in food placebo studies in recent years have yielded fascinating results. One of the most interesting findings is that this effect is not just psychological. In fact, it also affects the biochemical and molecular levels.

Shocking magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was presented at a global conference on the snow effect in Leiden, Germany. The images showed how some areas of the patient’s brain are activated when he or she takes a sugar pill that is prescribed by a doctor as the right medicine.

Molecular biologist Kathryn T. Hall and Harvard Medical School’s placebo research program leader Ted J. Kaptchuk are some of the most advanced researchers in the field. Their study states:

Effects on diet

We still have a long way to go to fully understand the snow effect. Typically, in drug trials, placebo works in about a third of the volunteers. This means that the snow effect is real. However, researchers still have a lot to explore on this topic.

As for the snow effect of food, we can certainly say that for us humans, food is not just the sum of the foods we eat. There is a lot of symbolism involved in eating, and that’s why people have so many different beliefs and feelings about food.

For the same reason, as Dr. Alia Crum has shown, the effect of food on our bodies depends a lot on those feelings and beliefs. If we believe that a food is hurting us, it is likely to hurt us as well. If we believe that a food brings us health or even comfort, then it certainly brings it. Everything shows that the snow effect of food is real.