mun23 wrote:
Scientists investigating a rare metabolic disorder hypothesized that d obesity was a predisposing factor in the development of the disease. A study of twenty patients found that, on average, the patients were close to the normal weight for their height.
Before concluding that obesity is not a predisposing factor, the researchers would find the answer to which of the following questions most useful?
A. Are the patients above or below normal height?
B. Were any of the patients underweight when the disorder was diagnosed?
C. Does weight loss reduce the severity of the symptoms?
D. Have the patients always been close to the normal weight for their heights?
E. How many of the patients had obese parents?
Need explanation.............
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A) - Their height has nothing to do with the issue since their weight is adjusted based on their height in the study "the patients were close to the normal weight for their height"
B) - Being the opposite of obesity when diagnosed does not rule out that obesity could be a predisposing factor. Even if this one was true, then you could say being underweight or overweight could be a predisposing factor.
C) - Even if weight loss reduces the symptoms, they already have the disease. The scientists are concerned about a predisposing factor, not reducing symptoms. Irrelevant.
D) - This one is correct. The scientists are looking at the patient's current weight, not what weight they were before being diagnosed, which is not discussed in this article. For example, they could all have been 300 lbs a year ago when diagnosed, but treatment for this disease and side effects could have caused them to all be close to normal weight now.
E) - Irrelevant. The parent's weight is not what is of concern, but the patient's weight. The parent's weight could still be an issue, but that is not what the question is concerned about.