In a correlational study on the relationship between caffeine consumption and heart disease in police officers, the fact that the officers could not be randomly assigned to high and low caffeine groups suggests the results may be due to:

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The fact that the officers could not be randomly assigned to high and low caffeine groups suggests that there may be a third factor, such as donuts, that is confounding the relationship between caffeine consumption and heart disease. It is not possible to establish a causal relationship without proper randomization and control of other variables.

In a Correlational Study on the Relationship Between Caffeine Consumption