A recent study suggests that not eating genetically modified foods

Question

A recent study suggests that not eating genetically modified foods can lead to a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The study based this conclusion on the fact that individuals who ate only non genetically modified foods developed these conditions at lower rates than did individuals who ate both genetically modified and not genetically modified foods and concluded that the decreased risk of both diseases must be as a result of the individuals’ dietary differences.

Which of the following, if true, would weaken the conclusion that eating only non genetically modified foods leads to a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes?

A. Genetically modified foods also tend to be organically grown, a process that uses fewer pesticides and artificial fertilizers than does conventional agriculture.

B. Type II diabetes and heart disease are often exacerbated or triggered by poor diets, especially those high in processed grain-based foods and fat-heavy meat products.

C. It is possible that some individuals could be naturally resistant to developing both type 2 diabetes and heart disease regardless of diet.

D. Other studies have examined the effects of organic food on the risk of developing both diseases, but not on the effects of genetically modified food.

E. Individuals who do not eat genetically modified foods also tend to exercise and make other healthy lifestyle choices associated with a decreased risk of both diseases.

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kb26 · Answer

The argument says reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes is due to not eating genetically modified foods and as evidence it cites a result of the study. So, what could naturally weaken this would either provide an alternative explanation or invalid the study results. And, option E provides an alternative explanation that exercise and other healthy choices could be behind this and they are not examined by the study.

A: This option actually removes a comparability factor among genetically modified foods and non genetically modified foods. So, its actually strengthening.

B, C, D: All 3 options are not related to conclusion.

A: This option actually removes a comparability factor among genetically modified foods and non genetically modified foods. So, its actually strengthening.

B, C, D: All 3 options are not related to conclusion.

vasu1104 · Answer

study is done between two sets of people. people who ate non GM food and people who ate both GM and non GM food. 
 people in former group saw decreased rates of t-2 diabetes and heart disease. 
 conclusion= eating non GM foods can lead to decreased risk of t-s diabetes and heart disease.

assumption= other condition and life style were same in both groups.

A this tells additional aspect on how GM foods are developed but that doestn attack the conclusion here. out. 
 B this talks about poor diets and it effects on those two issues. but no impact on conclusion yet. out. 
 C i understand that but here we are not talking about those people at all. out. 
 D so why did that group with GM food developed those two disease at higher rates. out. 
 E there you go. these people also engaged in other activities that helped reduced the lower the risk of those two disease. hence attack the hidden assumption and therefore weaken the conclusion.

dhart · Answer

Factors other than dieatery preferances like lifestyle choices swimming, exercising etc can act as weakerners , so individuals who do not eat genetically modified foods also tend to exercise and make other healthy lifestyle choices associated with a decreased risk of both diseases

Vivek1707 · Answer

A. This doesn't explain the difference between the two groups; it actually suggests an additional factor that could be beneficial.
B. This supports the idea that diet affects these diseases but doesn't show that GM food specifically causes the higher risk.
C. Natural resistance could affect disease rates, but it doesn't explain why the non-GM group had lower rates.
D. The fact that other studies exist doesn't weaken this study's conclusion.
E. Correct — If people who avoid GM foods also exercise and make other healthy lifestyle choices, those factors could explain their lower disease rates rather than the absence of GM foods.

A. Incorrect — This doesn't explain the difference between the two groups; it actually suggests an additional factor that could be beneficial.
B. Incorrect — This supports the idea that diet affects these diseases but doesn't show that GM food specifically causes the higher risk.
C. Incorrect — Natural resistance could affect disease rates, but it doesn't explain why the non-GM group had lower rates.
D. Incorrect — The fact that other studies exist doesn't weaken this study's conclusion.
E. Correct — If people who avoid GM foods also exercise and make other healthy lifestyle choices, those factors could explain their lower disease rates rather than the absence of GM foods.

harjas2222 · Answer

E and let us go through each option

First the question is clear with its conclusion, that the subjects "dietary plans" were used to conclude that eating no GM food, will lead to reduced development of the two diseases being Type II diabetes and heart problems

A. Genetically modified foods also tend to be organically grown, a process that uses fewer pesticides and artificial fertilizers than does conventional agriculture.

The inclusion of pesticides and artificial fertilizers bring in a whole new topic with its own consequences while the two diseases that are mentioned, the writer has not given us a direct cause and us filling that cause will be counter productive. REMOVED

B. Type II diabetes and heart disease are often exacerbated or triggered by poor diets, especially those high in processed grain-based foods and fat-heavy meat products.

Again though "dietary preference" is mentioned, the topic perimeter is strictly about GM and non GM crops, the inclusion of meat and poor diet makes its a weak weakener. REMOVE

C. It is possible that some individuals could be naturally resistant to developing both type 2 diabetes and heart disease regardless of diet.
Again possibility cannot be a good weakener, and even a subject resistance goes out of the scope. REMOVE

D. Other studies have examined the effects of organic food on the risk of developing both diseases, but not on the effects of genetically modified food.

does not attack the main conclusion, and seems to be a vague and easy removal. REMOVE

E. Individuals who do not eat genetically modified foods also tend to exercise and make other healthy lifestyle choices associated with a decreased risk of both diseases.

CORRECT, unlike option B that brings in Meat and poor diet, it simply bring in a factor that invalidates the author main conclusion and gives a better idea of why the non GM crop eaters where resistant to the two diseases

SwethaReddyL · Answer

Option E
E. Individuals who do not eat genetically modified foods also tend to exercise and make other healthy lifestyle choices associated with a decreased risk of both diseases.
 
this talks about the alternate reason for the decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease of the sample given. So option E weakens the most.
A is irrelevant
B is talking about the triggering factors of those diease, again irrelevant
C is a weak weakener
D is irrelevant

Thanks,
Swetha

counterclash1 · Answer

Correct Answer: E

Argument Structure:
- Premise: People eating only non-GM foods have lower rates of type 2 diabetes 
 and heart disease than those eating GM foods.
- Conclusion: Avoiding GM food causes the decreased risk of both diseases.

Flaw: 
Correlation vs. Causation. The author ignores other confounding lifestyle variables 
between the two demographic groups.

Option Evaluation:
(A) Irrelevant comparison about agriculture methods.
(B) General information about disease causes; doesn't differentiate the two groups.
(C) "Some individuals" might be resistant, but gives no reason why they'd concentrate in the non-GM group.
(D) What other studies did is out of scope.
 (E) CORRECT. Introduces an alternative cause: exercise and broader healthy lifestyle habits associated with non-GM consumers account for the reduced disease rates.

Taidaishar · Answer

The conclusion states that eating only non-genetically modified foods or not eating genetically modified foods leads to a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. We have to weaken in. 
A. Genetically modified foods also tend to be organically grown, a process that uses fewer pesticides and artificial fertilizers than does conventional agriculture - this attempts to loosely imply that genetically modified foods can be considered healthy and therefore might lower the risk of the mentioned diseases. The passage mentions no correlation between pesticides and artificial fertilizers and the diseases. This can be  Eliminated .

B. Type II diabetes and heart disease are often exacerbated or triggered by poor diets, especially those high in processed grain-based foods and fat-heavy meat products - we have no information to conclude that the concerned group in the study consumed high in processed grain-based foods and fat-heavy meat products. And who is to say that anyone in the study consumed them at all? Plus this is out of scope.  Eliminated

C. It is possible that some individuals could be naturally resistant to developing both type 2 diabetes and heart disease regardless of diet - some individuals' ability to be naturally resistant to developing both type 2 diabetes and heart disease regardless of diet could not have affected the study's results meaningfully. They very well could've been in both the groups.  Eliminated

D. Other studies have examined the effects of organic food on the risk of developing both diseases, but not on the effects of genetically modified food - out of scope.  Eliminated

E. Individuals who do not eat genetically modified foods also tend to exercise and make other healthy lifestyle choices associated with a decreased risk of both diseases - implies that there is perhaps another factor associated with the concerned group (besides eating only genetically modified foods) that led to the lowered rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Successfully weakens.  Correct

Bunuel · Answer

VERITAS PREP OFFICIAL SOLUTION:

As with any weaken question, your first goal should be to understand the argument presented and find the gap between the information given and the conclusion presented. In this argument, you are told that a study claims that not eating genetically modified foods (GMOs) leads to lower rates of type 2 diabetes and heart disease because people who didn't eat GMOs tend to develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease at a lower rate than do people who do eat GMOs.

The gap here is in the difference between correlation and causation. While there is a correlation between the behavior (not eating GMOs) and the outcome (not getting type 2 diabetes or heart disease), there is nothing that proves the outcome is due to the behavior. What if non-GMO foods were only available to individuals who were wealthy or who belonged to a specific ethnic group that developed both diseases at lower rates? The correct answer will exploit the gap between correlation and causation.

The only answer choice to do this is (E). If individuals who don't eat GMOs also engage in other activities known to lower the risk of both diseases, then it's impossible to tell if their decreased risk is due to the fact that they don't eat GMOs or the fact that they engage in these other activities. Maybe the cause of both (not eating GMOs and decreased risk) is their lifestyle, and those two effects are just correlated.

Among the other answers, (A) can be eliminated because there is no way to link the practice of using pesticides or artificial fertilizers to diabetes or heart disease. Choice (B) can be eliminated since it does not address anything to do with the conclusion, which is specifically about genetically modified foods. Choice (C) can also be eliminated for the same reason - there is no reason that these individuals wouldn't have shown up in both groups. Choice (D) can be eliminated as well since whether other studies have looked at this issue doesn't impact whether or not the conclusion is correct.

A recent study suggests that not eating genetically modified foods

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A recent study suggests that not eating genetically modified foods