Research Critique: Evaluating Herbal Formulation for Weight Loss Study

This report provides a comprehensive critique of a research study investigating the efficacy of the herbal formulation LI85008F for weight loss in overweight adults. The study employed a 16-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The critique examines the study's methodology, including participant selection, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and experimental design. It assesses the validity of the experimental approach, the effectiveness of the study results, and the discussion and conclusions drawn by the researchers. The analysis considers the study's strengths, such as the larger sample size and the use of a double-blind design, and also addresses potential limitations. The report highlights the study's findings, which indicated a significant reduction in body weight, BMI, and other metrics in the LI85008F group compared to the placebo group, along with improvements in lipid profiles and mood. The critique concludes by evaluating the relevance of the study's discussion and conclusions to the research question, design, and results, and its alignment with existing literature.

Running head: RESEARCH CRITIQUE 1
Research Critique
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Institution

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Research Critique
Introduction
The number of obese and overweight individuals across the globe has seen a great
increase. The world Health Organization (2014) explains that while the rates of prevalence of
these conditions continue to increase across the globe, the population of obese and overweight
people stands a 1 billion and 300 million respectively. To date, body mass index (BMI) is
considered as one of the most effective techniques of detecting obesity and overweight among
patients (Mistry and Puthussery, 2015). Kelishadi, Haghdoost, Sadeghirad and Khajehkazemi,
(2014) reveal that the two conditions are closely associated with the prevalence of lifestyle
diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular ailments and type 2 diabetes. While conventional
strategies of managing weight are effective, the scholars explain that they are highly expensive
and may lead to the advancement of detrimental effects on the side of the patient. As a
consequence, Dixit, Kamath, Alluri and Davis (2018) advance a research aimed at undertaking a
reevaluation of the effectiveness of LI85008F in fostering weight loss among overweight adults
by adopting a 16-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study.
According to Dixit et al. (2018) LI85008F is an herbal remedy advanced with the aim of
fostering high quality body weight management through inclusion of clinically and botanically
researched dietary ingredients. The scholars reveal that LI85008F works by provoking lipogenic
factors such as PPARˠ and fostering the inhibition of key processes such as lipogenesis in a
simultaneous way. Ideally, the scholarly material under review proceeded with the primary
objective of exploring the efficacy and levels of tolerability of LI85008F in fostering weight loss
among healthy participants that are overweight. For effective comparison, the researchers
adopted reductions in fat mass, BMI, hip and waist circumferences, serum lipid and ghrelin

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profiles. An analysis of the scholarly material reveals that it attained its desired objectives. For
instance, the scholars take the option of adopting a larger population them administering the
described treatment for a longer period. Such an approach does not only increase the levels of
reliability of the study but also enhances its reliability and ease of making generalizations to
other populations (McNeish and Stapleton, 2016).
Overview and Assessment of the Research Methodology
Participants
The investigation was conducted between 1st June and 15th November 2015. The Krupa
Centre for Diabetes and Obesity, Bengaluru and the Sudeep Diabetes Care Centre, Bengaluru
were adopted as independent institutions to foster the process of recruiting voluntary participants
visiting the outpatient wings. 157 participants were recruited and screened to verify their efficacy
of taking part in the study. Of this population, only 140 were considered based on the set
inclusion criteria.
Inclusion criteria
For inclusion, the respondents adopted for this study needed to be healthy based on their
medical records, aged between 21 and 50 years and free from diabetes mellitus intestinal
illnesses and metabolic bone disease. Further, the participants were required to reveal a BMI
ranging between 27 and 29.9kgm-2. Similarly, the voluntary contributors needed to show that they
were medically fit to undertake the research based on their medical records. Additionally, the
partakers were verified to ensure that they were not affected with conditions such as renal and
cardiovascular diseases as well as abnormal functioning of the liver (Dixit et al., 2018).

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Exclusion criteria
The participants were excluded from the study if they revealed the presence of
inflammatory disorders, HIV and inexplicable loss of gain of weight three months before the
commencement of the study. Similarly, patients exposed to alcohol smoking and weight loss
drugs were excluded from the study (Dixit et al., 2018).
Experimental approach
The scholars adopted a 16-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical
study. Two groups of the participants (n = 70 per group) were adopted and divided into two
groups in a 1:1 ratio. The groups were randomized to obtain an LI85008F and placebo sets each
comprising of 70 participants. The respondents were exposed to two identical placebo capsules
or divided doses of LI85008F at a rate of 900mg/d. similarly a dietitian was adopted to advise the
participants on the importance of following the ~1800 kcal/d meal adopted for the study as well
as the inclusion of a physical exercise program that involved walking for thirty minutes, five
days per week within the investigation period.
In my opinion, the experimental approach adopted for this study was highly effective.
According to Hopkins (2017), the sample size put into consideration by a researcher plays a
crucial role in determining its levels of reliability. Overall, the scholars adopted a larger sample
size (n = 140); an aspect that increases the effectiveness of method in fostering generalizations.
Similarly, the move to adopt an exclusion criterion that eliminated participants exposed to other
weight management medications, alcohol and smoking played a significant role in eliminating
the experimental errors associated with reactions between the research treatment considered and
these drugs.

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According to Simonsohn (2015), a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical
research design is highly effective in allowing researchers to draw experimental inferences
concerning the perceived effects of a treatment on the entire population as represented by the
participants. Consequently, the design implemented by the scholars is fit to the intended analysis.
Similarly, Orne (2017) reveal that an active control group can be used to represent the interests
of the placebo group. However, the researchers divide the placebo and LI85008F groups in a 1:1
ratio as a way of initiating active control. Lastly, the blinding effect used on the scholars played a
significant role in minimizing personal biases.
Explanation of the Study Results
Based on the experimental analysis adopted by the scholars, there was a significant
reduction in body weight among the participants adopted for the study upon uptake of the
prescribed LI85008F treatment in comparison to the placebo group. Similarly, the treatment
group revealed a reduction in the BMI, hip and waist circumferences. On the other hand, great
improvements in lipid profiles, low density lipoproteins. Further the participants did not reveal
issues of adversity related to the treatment they were exposed to.
There were significant reductions in the levels of adiponectin and ghrelin serum among
the participants that were adopted as the LI85008F treatment group. The researchers found out a
reduction of 20.17% in the levels of ghrelin in the LI85008F team compared to 15.05% reduction
in the placebo group. Similarly, the assessment of the participants’ overall mood revealed great
improvements in the group exposed to the LI85008F treatments.
Minimal adverse events were realized in the processes of implementing the research. For
instance, Dixit et al. (2018) reveal that the minor events recorded among the participants
included headaches, fever, loose stool and an increase in the levels of dehydration and appetite.

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However, the fact that these minor adverse events were effectively distributed limited their
effects on the results obtained. Similarly, issues of absenteeism among the respondents led to the
exclusion of about ten of the people adopted to participate in the investigation. Based on the
researchers’ viewpoints, such reductions altered the population of participants adopted go
represent each of the two groups adopted for this study. Despite the minor irregularities, none of
the subjects was excluded from the study as a result of adverse events.
High quality data was adopted by the scholars. According to Hazen, Boone, Ezell and
Jones-Farmer (2014), the quality of data and instruments of analysis adopted by a researcher play
a significant role in determining the levels of validity and reliability of the results obtained. On
the other hand, Sadiq and Indulska (2017) and Barnaghi, Bermudez-Edo and Tönjes, (2015)
reveal that the uniformity of the results obtained upon application of multiple tools of analysis
are of great essence in determining the study’s levels of efficacy in fostering generalizations.
Therefore, the scholars adopted multiple tools of analyzing the data collected as a way of
fostering validity and reliability. For instance, the researchers adopted standard deviation and
ANCOVA to enhance the levels of reliability in the statistical analyses adopted.
Discussion
Overweight and obesity have a great negative impact on the state of healthcare across the
world. While these conditions call for inclusion of dire measures aimed at including friendly
botanical remedies that enjoy scientific backing, here is need for adoption of weight management
initiatives that are both friendly to the consumer and avail the expected results with a very short
timeframe. Based on the results obtained by the study, proper exposure of patients to a
supplementation of LI85008F as an herbal remedy leads to a significant reduction in the levels of
BMI, body weight, hip and waist circumferences. As a consequence, the scholarly work revealed

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the levels of clinical efficacy of LI85008F as a safe herbal portion of managing weight among
overweight and obese patients who are healthy.
Similarly, the research revealed that the LI85008F herbal formula acted as a useful
supplementation in the processes of instilling alterations in the baseline anthropometric aspects
of the respondents included by the researchers. While conventional researchers consider BMI as
he most effective instrument of determining he levels of adiposity among clients, the scholars
concurred that was circumference is equally important in assessing the advancement of
metabolic syndrome. In my opinion, the discussion and conclusions availed by Dixit et al (2018)
is highly relevant to the research question that was initially posed, the design implemented and
the results arrived at. Similarly, the discussion is in line with other scholarly works published in
this area.

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References
Barnaghi, P., Bermudez-Edo, M., & Tönjes, R. (2015). Challenges for quality of data in smart
cities. Journal of Data and Information Quality (JDIQ), 6(2-3), 6.
Dixit, K., Kamath, D. V., Alluri, K. V., & Davis, B. A. (2018). Efficacy of a novel herbal
formulation for weight loss demonstrated in a 16‐week randomized, double‐blind,
placebo‐controlled clinical trial with healthy overweight adults. Diabetes, Obesity and
Metabolism.
Hazen, B. T., Boone, C. A., Ezell, J. D., & Jones-Farmer, L. A. (2014). Data quality for data
science, predictive analytics, and big data in supply chain management: An introduction
to the problem and suggestions for research and applications. International Journal of
Production Economics, 154, 72-80.
Hopkins, W. G. (2017). Estimating Sample Size for Magnitude-Based Inferences. Sportscience,
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Kelishadi, R., Haghdoost, A. A., Sadeghirad, B., & Khajehkazemi, R. (2014). Trend in the
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Liu, C., Newell, G., & White, M. (2018). The effect of sample size on the accuracy of species
distribution models: considering both presences and pseudo‐absences or background
sites. Ecography.
McNeish, D. M., & Stapleton, L. M. (2016). The effect of small sample size on two-level model
estimates: A review and illustration. Educational Psychology Review, 28(2), 295-314.

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Mistry, S. K., & Puthussery, S. (2015). Risk factors of overweight and obesity in childhood and
adolescence in South Asian countries: a systematic review of the evidence. Public
Health, 129(3), 200-209.
Orne, M. T. (2017). On the simulating subject as a quasi-control group in hypnosis research:
What, why, and how. In Hypnosis (pp. 399-444). Routledge.
Sadiq, S., & Indulska, M. (2017). Open data: Quality over quantity. International Journal of
Information Management, 37(3), 150-154.
Simonsohn, U. (2015). Small telescopes: Detectability and the evaluation of replication results.
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World Health Organization (2014). Obesity and Overweight. Geneva, Switzerland. Available at:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/. Accessed 10/10/18