PrepTest 135, Section 1, Question 1
In a recent study of more than 400(112 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(6 more words not shown)
- AResearch has shown(20 more words not shown)
- BStudies suggest that(29 more words not shown)
- CThe patients who(18 more words not shown)
- DMany people who(20 more words not shown)
- ESome cardiologists believe(17 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The Mediterranean group had fewer second heart attacks. That gives us a reason to take the diet seriously. But what does it tell us about fat?
The conclusion is modest: a diet may protect the heart without being extremely low in fat. It doesn't say that every fatty food is good for us, or that cutting fat never helps. The Mediterranean diet contains fat from fish and olive oil, yet the people following it did better than those following the other diet.
I'd still want to know how much fat the Mediterranean diet contains overall. Having some fatty foods doesn't automatically make the whole diet high in fat. And the comparison alone doesn't tell us which feature of the diet helped. Something in the Mediterranean diet might be beneficial, or something in the other diet might be harmful.
What we’re looking for
To strengthen the argument, give us more reason to connect heart protection with a diet that still includes fat. Another example of that combination could help. So could evidence explaining how particular fats contribute to the protection.
Working the answers
- A
Cutting almost all fat might reduce the risk of another heart attack. That doesn't tell us whether a diet that retains a fair amount of fat can also protect the heart. Two different diets could both help. A supports the usefulness of the very low-fat option without supporting the claim that such a low level of fat isn't required.
- BCorrect
The oils in this diet may themselves help protect the heart. That gives us a concrete reason why a diet containing these fats could have a protective effect: the fats needn't merely be tolerated while something else does all the good. They may contribute to the benefit. This supports the possibility in the conclusion without claiming that all fats are equally helpful.
- C
Enjoying the food and continuing to eat it might make the diet easier to stick with. But we still need evidence that it protects the heart despite its fat content. People could enjoy an unhealthy diet too. Continued use after the experiment doesn't establish the missing health connection.
- D
This tells us what cardiologists recommend, not whether exercise explains or supplements the results of this study. Advice to exercise doesn't establish that the Mediterranean diet protects the heart while retaining fat.
- E
Drugs might make the diet's protection even greater. That possibility doesn't explain why an extremely low-fat diet is unnecessary. The question concerns the protective possibilities of dietary fat, not whether another treatment could add a benefit.
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