The public is well aware that high blood cholesterol levels raise

Question

The public is well aware that high blood cholesterol levels raise the risk of stroke caused by blood clots, but a recent report concludes that people with low blood cholesterol levels are at increased risk of the other lethal type of stroke---cerebral hemorrhage, caused when a brain artery busts. The report suggests that because blood cholesterol plays a vita role in maintaining cell membranes, low blood cholesterol weakens artery walls, making them prone to rupture. The conclusion thus supports a long-standing contention by Japanese researchers that Western diets better protect against cerebral hemorrhage than do non-Western diets.

The argument is based on which one of the following assumption?

(A) Western diets are healthier than non-Western diets. 
(B) Western diets result in higher blood cholesterol levels than do non-Western diets. 
(C) High blood cholesterol levels preclude the weakening of artery walls. 
(D) Cerebral hemorrhages are more dangerous than strokes caused by blood clots. 
(E) People who have low blood pressure are at increased risk of cerebral hemorrhage.

Source: LSAT

akshata19 · Answer

I was confused between A and B 
IMO - A

(A) Western diets are healthier than non-Western diets. 
  Healthy diet means good amount of all nutrients required including cholesterol. lets keep this option

(B) Western diets result in higher blood cholesterol levels than do non-Western diets. 
  this is the tricky part , 
passage says 'Western diets better protect against cerebral hemorrhage than do non-Western diets'.
may be because western diet has required amount of cholesterol to keep arteries in good health not necessary it should have high cholesterol in order to protect hence i would go with A

(C) High blood cholesterol levels preclude the weakening of artery walls. 
 it say low blood cholesterol weakens arteries , but we cannot assume high does any good

(D) Cerebral hemorrhages are more dangerous than strokes caused by blood clots. 
 already mentioned cannot be an assumption 
people with low blood cholesterol levels are at increased risk of the other lethal type of stroke

(E) People who have low blood pressure are at increased risk of cerebral hemorrhage.
 topic is cholesterol and not blood pressure

ezzo · Answer

B for me. Option B is the only one which tells us the relation between cholesterol levels and diet.

Heisenberg12 · Answer

We have been given that low blood cholesterol levels result in cerebral haemorrhaging and the conclusion says Western diets better protect against cerebral haemorrhage than do non-Western diets. 
Therefore, we need something in the answer choice that would connect non-Western diets with lower cholesterol because they are already better at protecting against cerebral haemorrhaging than are Western diets.

A) Maybe. There's a risk in assuming that "healthier diets" have low cholesterol level.
B) Correct. In order to reach conclusion, assuming that Western Diets result in higher blood cholesterol levels than do non-Western diets closes the gap left by the premises. If Western diets have higher cholesterol levels, their ability to protect against cerebral haemorrhage is less than that of the non-Western diets. Therefore, the Japanese researchers warning stands true.
C) This couldn't fill the gap because it does not connect diets to cholesterol levels.
D) Assuming that would do nothing to make the argument stronger. It would have no effect.
E) OoS.

A_Nishith · Answer

Option B is the only one which tells us the relation between cholesterol levels and diet.

HRX273 · Answer

The conclusion thus supports a long-standing contention by Japanese researchers that Western diets better protect against cerebral hemorrhage than do non-Western diets.low blood cholesterol weakens artery walls, making them prone to rupture. so to protect cerebral hemorrhage, we need high cholesterol level... so imo---b

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

Main points

Low blood cholesterol means increased risk of cerebral hemorrhage (due to weakened artery walls). 
  Japanese researchers’ long-standing contention:  Western diets protect better against cerebral hemorrhage than non-Western diets. 
 The report’s conclusion is said to support that contention.

For the conclusion to support the Japanese researchers’ view, we must assume that Western diets lead to higher cholesterol than non-Western diets, because:

Low cholesterol means higher risk of cerebral hemorrhage. 
 If Western diets protect against cerebral hemorrhage more, then they must be associated with higher cholesterol (not lower). 
 If Western diets resulted in lower cholesterol, the report’s conclusion would contradict, not support, the Japanese claim.

So the hidden assumption:  Western diets result in higher blood cholesterol levels than non-Western diets.

(A) “Healthier”  is vague and not necessary for the logic.

(C)  Not necessary; argument is about low cholesterol causing weakening, not high cholesterol precluding it.

(D)  Comparison of danger is irrelevant.

(E)  Blood pressure is out of scope.

Answer: B

The public is well aware that high blood cholesterol levels raise

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The public is well aware that high blood cholesterol levels raise

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