Nutritionist: Obesity is becoming a very serious problem in this count

Question

Nutritionist: Obesity is becoming a very serious problem in this country, and we must actively pursue a means of combating it. I have recently conducted a 12-week weight loss study to see which is the best method for obese adults to lose weight. My study shows that the consumption of a healthy, balanced diet and the incorporation of exercise were highly successful. All patients who participated in my study lost weight by eating the recommended diet and by adding a little exercise each day.

Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously undermines the statement above?

(A) The nutritionist's income is subsidized by a government agency committed to encouraging people to lose weight by adding daily exercise.
(B) All of the patients had a very similar physical makeup and metabolic rate, two significant factors that affect the ability to lose weight.
(C) The nutritionist has been unable to come to an agreement with a colleague on what constitutes a healthy diet.
(D) All of the nutritionist's patients incorporated exactly the same form of exercise to their daily routine.
(E) There were only eighty patients who participated in the nutritionist's weight loss study.

Source: LSAT

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:  
This question asks students to select the statement that most seriously undermines the nutritionist’s claims that his method of applying diet and exercise alone helped patients struggling with obesity to lose weight and that this method of losing weight is the best method. The student must consider each answer choice in the context of what the nutritionist says in order to determine which answer is most correct.

The Correct Answer: 
B The nutritionist’s statement that a healthy, balanced diet and the incorporation of daily exercise is strongly undermined by the information that significant factors in weight loss include physical makeup and metabolism, and that the nutritionist worked only with adults with very similar physical makeups and metabolisms. This information throws into question whether the nutritionist’s methods would work for adults with different physical makeups and metabolism, thereby undermining the claim the nutritionist’s method for weight loss is the best method. Therefore, answer choice (B) is the correct answer.

The Incorrect Answers: 
A Answer choice (A), although tempting, is ultimately irrelevant to the nutritionist’s direct claims about the best method for weight loss; answer A is considered an ad hominem claim, that is, a claim directed about a person making an argument rather than about the merits of the argument itself. Simply because the nutritionist receives funding from the government does not mean that the nutritionist’s study is biased. Nothing in the passage suggests that it is. Answer choice (A) is not correct.

C Like answer choice (A), answer choice (C) is interesting but does nothing to undermine the nutritionist’s claims. It is not surprising to learn that another nutritionist disagrees with him, but disagreement with a colleague does not necessarily undermine his test results. Answer choice (C), therefore, is incorrect.

D Far from undermining the test results and the nutritionist’s claims, answer choice (D) actually supports them. This is because different methods of exercise might have different results regarding weight loss. Thus answer choice (D) can be eliminated at once.

E The statement about the number of patients provides further information about how the nutritionist carried out his test. However, it does not necessarily undermine the results. Eighty patients could conceivably provide the nutritionist with a large enough study group to derive useful results, so this choice does not necessarily undermine his claims. Answer choice (E) is incorrect.

chetan2u · Answer

Nutritionist: Obesity is becoming a very serious problem in this country, and we must actively pursue a means of combating it. I have recently conducted a 12-week weight loss study to see which is the best method for obese adults to lose weight. My study shows that the consumption of a healthy, balanced diet and the incorporation of exercise were highly successful. All patients who participated in my study lost weight by eating the recommended diet and by adding a little exercise each day.

Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously undermines the statement above?

(A) The nutritionist's income is subsidized by a government agency committed to encouraging people to lose weight by adding daily exercise.
 We are looking at something weakening the study of nutritionist.. nothing to do with subsidy ..

(B) All of the patients had a very similar physical makeup and metabolic rate, two significant factors that affect the ability to lose weight.
 Now that's correct. If she chose people with characteristics that help in losing weight faster, then it is not the weight loss plan but these characteristics that helped them to lose weight.

(C) The nutritionist has been unable to come to an agreement with a colleague on what constitutes a healthy diet.
 Out of context

(D) All of the nutritionist's patients incorporated exactly the same form of exercise to their daily routine.
 this doesn't affect the claim of nutritionist

(E) There were only eighty patients who participated in the nutritionist's weight loss study
 Although the number are less, but all 8 losing weight by the plan does not lessen the credibility to great extent. B is a better choice

B

sandman13 · Answer

Once I read there was a study, I was already on the lookout whether people in the study were representative of the population. Another thing which came to mind was how the study environment might be different from people's homes, offices, etc.

Option B says "patients had a very similar physical makeup and metabolic rate", so maybe this regime only works for only THESE specific kind of people.

warrior1991 · Answer

Option B or Option E.

E says that there were 80 participants in the weight loss program.Still 80 is a good number.

If all 8o were able to loose weight as per the program designed by the nutritionist,it would strengthen the nutritionist's conclusion.

B says that all of the patients had a very similar physical makeup and metabolic rate, two significant factors that affect the ability to lose weight.

This weakens the nutritionist's conclusion because if all patients had similar physical makeup and metabolic rate,the weight loss program may not be successful.This option gives us alternate reason.

IMO E.

itisSheldon · Answer

That is exactly what we need. We need to weaken the conclusion. This is a typical sample/population CR question. And, in option E the population count is 80 and not 8.

vaibhav1221 · Answer

The option say "Eighty" and not "Eight"

warrior1991 · Answer

Thanks for pointing out guys.I have corrected it.I hope my reasoning behind this is correct.

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Nutritionist: Obesity is becoming a very serious problem in this count

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Nutritionist: Obesity is becoming a very serious problem in this count

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