You are correct. The true comparative measure is outcomes. However, when you compare the effects of both the active and placebo ingredients on the two lipoproteins (sdLDL, and vdLDL) that have known atherosclerotic causalities, and you get no differences between MO & CO, but a huge difference between EPA & DHA then you can't explain away the outcomes by the choice of placebo's used in each trial. IT'S THE EPA STUPID! NOT the placebo.