French cuisine is famous for its frequent and liberal use of cream and

Question

French cuisine is famous for its frequent and liberal use of cream and cheese, both high in saturated fat. For years, medical studies have shown the strong correlation between diets high in saturated fat and coronary heart disease, and yet, France has a much lower incidence of such disease than found in comparable countries like the United States. This is the so-called French Paradox.

Which of the following, if true, helps to explain the French Paradox?

(A) Certain kinds of cheese can have as much as five times the amount of saturated fat that cream has.

(B) People in the United States, per capita, eat almost the same amount of saturated fat on average as do people in France.

(C) The United States imports more cheese from France than from any other country.

(D) Red wine, typically served with French food, helps to clean the buildup of fats in the arteries, reducing the risk of heart disease.

(E) It is typically for a French person to have either cream or cheese at each of the three meals in a day.

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hr1212 · Answer

French cuisine -> High in saturated fat due to cream and cheese
High saturated fat -> More incidences of heart diseases
Still French people have lower no. of heart diseases, explain paradox?

Pre-thinking - 
 
 Something else counters the effects of high saturated fat 
 French genetical constitution allows for more saturated fat consumption without major side effects 
 French people consume cream and cheese on rare occasions or get-togethers

(A) Certain kinds of cheese can have as much as five times the amount of saturated fat that cream has.   Irrelevant

(B) People in the United States, per capita, eat almost the same amount of saturated fat on average as do people in France.   Doesn't help in explaining the paradox

(C) The United States imports more cheese from France than from any other country.   Shouldn't have differences in the proportion of heart diseases if quality is same

(D) Red wine, typically served with French food, helps to clean the buildup of fats in the arteries, reducing the risk of heart disease.   Goes inline with the pre-thinking and can be a difference maker b/w French and American diet

(E) It is typically for a French person to have either cream or cheese at each of the three meals in a day.   Not useful

IMO: D

bhargavhhhhhhhh · Answer

Breaking Down the Question 
The "French Paradox" highlights the contradiction between France's high consumption of saturated fats and its low incidence of coronary heart disease. The task is to find the option that provides a plausible explanation for this paradox.

Analyzing the Options 
(A) Certain kinds of cheese can have as much as five times the amount of saturated fat that cream has. 
- Irrelevant. This discusses fat content in cheese and cream but doesn’t explain the paradox. 
- Eliminate.

(B) People in the United States, per capita, eat almost the same amount of saturated fat on average as do people in France. 
- Irrelevant. This compares fat consumption in both countries but doesn't explain why France has lower heart disease rates. 
- Eliminate.

(C) The United States imports more cheese from France than from any other country. 
- Irrelevant. This discusses cheese imports but provides no connection to heart disease rates in France. 
- Eliminate.

(D) Red wine, typically served with French food, helps to clean the buildup of fats in the arteries, reducing the risk of heart disease. 
- Relevant. This explains how red wine, commonly consumed in France, could counteract the effects of saturated fat and reduce heart disease risk. 
- Keep.

(E) It is typical for a French person to have either cream or cheese at each of the three meals in a day. 
- Irrelevant. This emphasizes frequent consumption of saturated fat but doesn't address the paradox. 
- Eliminate.

Correct Answer: (D) 
The consumption of red wine provides a plausible explanation for the lower incidence of coronary heart disease in France despite a diet high in saturated fat.

Whoisdmx15 · Answer

(A) Certain kinds of cheese can have as much as five times the amount of saturated fat that cream has.  Eliminated  Irrelevant to the paradox, as no share of cream or cheese is given in the diets.

(B) People in the United States, per capita, eat almost the same amount of saturated fat on average as do people in France.  Eliminated  This strengthens the paradox even more, as no difference in per capita income rules out the possibility of more fats consumed hence more coronary diseases

(C) The United States imports more cheese from France than from any other country.  Eliminated  This strengthens the paradox even more, as this would mean similar saturated fat content in the diet of both countries.

(D) Red wine, typically served with French food, helps to clean the buildup of fats in the arteries, reducing the risk of heart disease.  Suitable  This explains the difference in outcome, in spite of similar dietary intake.

(E) It is typically for a French person to have either cream or cheese at each of the three meals in a day.  Eliminated  This adds nothing towards resolution of the paradox.

Bunuel · Answer

Magoosh Official Explanation:

In attacking a paradox question, first read the prompt and understand the paradox or contradiction in your own words. Here, we could say: most people eat high food and get heart attacks, but the French eat high fat foods and don’t get hard attacks. Then, look for an answer choice that best resolves the paradox.

Both (B) and (E) do the opposite: they make the paradox harder to explain. With (B), if folks in the US and France eat about the same amount of saturated fat, then why do Americans get heart disease but not the French? With (E), if French are eating high fat foods all the time, why aren’t they getting heart disease? In other words, neither of these answers the question, and in fact, both of them simply would make it even harder to understand.

Answers (A) and (C) are off-the-wall irrelevant. Choice (A) says that cheese has more fat then cream, but the French are eating both of those, so it doesn’t matter: either way, the French are eating high fat food. (C) changes the topic to imports, which is completely unrelated to the direct relationship of diet and epidemiology.

Only (D) resolves the paradox. Since the French drink red wine, which in moderation cleans the arteries, this explains how they could eat high fat foods and have a much lower risk of heart disease.

French cuisine is famous for its frequent and liberal use of cream and

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French cuisine is famous for its frequent and liberal use of cream and

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