A long-term health study that followed a group of people who

24. 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?

Conflict: 1950 study --> 1 pound per kg increase after 35 yrs of age live longer Vs Latter --> weight gain reduces life

(A) As people age, muscle and bone tissue tends to make up a smaller and smaller proportion of total body weight. --> this tells that body weight decreases with age, but there is nothing mentioned about lifespan, so irrelevant
(B) Individuals who reduce their cholesterol levels by losing weight can thereby also reduce their risk of dying from heart attacks or strokes. --> this gains added point to the latter, but it does not resolve the conflict happening in the passage.
(C) Smokers, who tend to be leaner than nonsmokers, tend to have shorter life spans than nonsmokers. --> Even though smokers are lean, they have less life. Here smokers are just a group of people taken for example. This point is that not only weight gain decreases life. Even if the smokers maintain a normal weight, their life time is less. This gives a valid point that there are lot of other problems for lower lifespan, This builds a good point to resolve the conflicts.
(D) The normal deterioration of the human immune system with age can be slowed down by a reduction in the number of calories consumed. --> This seems like a suggestion, but this statement does not resolve the conflict
(E) Diets that tend to lead to weight gain often contain not only excess fat but also unhealthful concentrations of sugar and sodium. --> Diet is not the topic of discussion, so out.


IMO C

I don't think any of these answers explain anything.

That means being leaner than nonsmokers adds to the danger of having shorter life spans.
The reason which explains the above phenomenon also helps in resolving the paradox mentioned in the question stimulus.

IMO C

The way C is structured shows that a paradox is the answer for another paradox....

i.e the unusualness shown in one scenario can be taken to show the unusualness in an another scenario.

I am totally unconvinced.

Can anyone please explain a little more ?

c? no way

Can you please share the source of this question .

Searched this forum and came up with this

cr-weight-loss-74685.html

I don't agree with C. This option is just talking about Smokers. Based on the statistics of a smaller class of people, we cannot conclude the same for a larger class.

Though other options are even big NO NO.

I'd go with C.
To help explain the discrepancy, there's to be a point to substantiate the weight gain.

Option C, which talks about smokers being leaner & more short lived, contributes to the fact of weight gain being Healthy

My answer is C (OA) and I'd like to explain my logic

Premise 1: People who gained weight at a rate of 1 pound/year lived longer than those who did not gain weight
Premise 2: This contradicts typical studies which shows weight gain as a leading cause of illness that leads to shorter lives

OK I admit this is not a great question, but hear me out

Now, assume that there are two groups of people in the health study - smokers and non smokers. Those who smoke tend to not only lead shorter lives, they also don't gain weight. Even though people who don't smoke and gain weight still face health problems due to weight gain, they have longer lifespans than smokers who don't gain any weight (who have more serious health problems due to lung cancer etc than obesity/diabetes etc).