long-term health

[s2006041405]

13-22）A long-term health study that followed a group of people who were age 35 in 1950 found that those whose weight increased by approximately half a kilogram or one pound per year after the age of 35 tended, on the whole, to live longer than those who maintained the weight they had at age 35. This finding seems at variance with other studies that have associated weight gain with a host of health problems that tend to lower life expectancy.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparently conflicting findings?
(A) As people age, muscle and bone tissue tends to make up a smaller and smaller proportion of total body weight.
(B) Individuals who reduce their cholesterol levels by losing weight can thereby also reduce their risk of dying from heart attacks or strokes.
(C) Smokers, who tend to be leaner than nonsmokers, tend to have shorter life spans than nonsmokers.
(D) The normal deterioration of the human immune system with age can be slowed down by a reduction in the number of calories consumed.
(E) Diets that tend to lead to weight gain often contain not only excess fat but also unhealthful concentrations of sugar and sodium.

I guess the oa could be wrong, but let's talk about it first.

[finesa17]

IMO C

On one side we have: People that gain weight live longer

while on the other side: Other studies show that gain weight is associated with health problems that tend to lower life expectancy.

Discrepancy can be solved if we manage to find another reason for lower life expectancy for group of people whose weight is constant.

Choice C says that people who smoke i.e. ones with constant weight, tend to have shorter life span than non smokers i.e. ones who gained weight.

Smoking beats wieght gain....

Btw What is the source of these questions?

[achar_varun]

Yup, answer is C.

C says, smokers tend to be LEANER or have lesser weight than those who don't smoke. But smokers die earlier. This resolves the discrepancy!

[sonikamadala]

IMO D.

Stem has to conflicting conclusions. We have to choose the option in such a way that both the conclusions should be co-existed.
Option D says, after certain age to maintain human immune system better it is required to to have high calorie food, which causes increase in weight as well better health. So D wins.

All other options are supporting either of the conflicting conclusions but not both.

[achar_varun]

@sonikamadala

D says "The normal deterioration of the human immune system with age can be slowed down by a reduction in the number of calories consumed". This means that if you reduce the number of calorie intake or lesser calories [what thin Earthlings do] you can slow down deterioration of the human immune system. This does not tell us why people who are fat live longer than those who are thin. In fact it says that if Earthlings want to live longer reduce calorie intake.

Hence does not solve the conflict of the research findings.

[nandini11]

IMO A ,Weight loss caused by loss of muscle tissue(caused by aging) is compensated for by gaining the extra gram or pound .So in effect the weight tends to be the almost the same just the proportion of fat and muscle varies with age .

The option about smokers , does not discuss or mention if they tend to be leaner post 35 as well or not (its a general statement and does not help resolve the conflict).
Whats the OA please

[arindambanerji]

IMO C

It is very much possible that the subjects who were examined were smokers and thus they lived less due to the less body weight.

What is OA?

[ssgomz]

Originally Posted by arindambanerji

IMO C

It is very much possible that the subjects who were examined were smokers and thus they lived less due to the less body weight.

What is OA?

Doesnt support the second argument though