Critical Reasoning

The average level of fat in the blood of people suffering from acute cases of disease W is lower than the average level for the population as a whole. Nevertheless, most doctors believe that reducing blood-fat levels is an effective way of preventing acute W.
Which one of the following, if true, does most to justify this apparently paradoxical belief?
(A) The blood level of fat for patients who have been cured of W is on average the same as that for the population at large.
(B) Several of the symptoms characteristic of acute W have been produced in laboratory animals fed large doses of a synthetic fat substitute, though acute W itself has not been produced in this way.
(C) The progression from latent to acute W can occur only when the agent that causes acute W absorbs large quantities of fat from the patient's blood.
(D) The levels of fat in the blood of patients who have disease W respond abnormally slowly to changes in dietary intake of fat.
(E) High levels of fat in the blood are indicative of several diseases that are just as serious as W.

C

Nice question

1) The average level of fat in the blood of people suffering from acute cases of disease W is lower than the average level for the population as a whole.
2) Nevertheless, most doctors believe that reducing blood-fat levels is an effective way of preventing acute W.


(C) The progression from latent to acute W can occur only when the agent that causes acute W absorbs large quantities of fat from the patient's blood.

It explains why the fat content in the blood of patients diagnosed with acute W are lower than the average level of the population as whole.
If the agent that causes acute W absorbs the fat in the blood..then obviously the level of fat in the blood will be lower in such patients.

Let's rephrase this question into a simpler one:

Even though patients suffering from acute cases of disease W have been observed to have lower levels of fat as compared to the average population, doctors believe that reducing one's blood-fat level is an effective way of preventing acute cases of disease W

What answer choice would best help resolve the paradox?

An answer choice pointing out that high levels of fat may be responsible for acute cases of disease W.

Looking at the answer choices:

A) Says nothing about why one should lower one's blood fat level to prevent acute cases of disease W

B) A tempting answer choice IF not read thoroughly. The answer choice states that SYMPTOMS were able to be produced in rats but NOT the acute case of the disease

D) States that it may be a tedious task for people to reduce their blood fat level but does not mention anything about the disease

E) Out of scope. We are concerned with how high levels of fat increase the risk of acute W, not that of other diseases

C) Bingo. The reason that the patients with acute W had low blood fat levels was because the agent that causes acute W absorbed their previously higher blood fat levels to progress to an acute case of the disease. The doctors recommended that one should lower his or her blood fat levels because,having low blood fat levels gives the agent causing the disease less opportunity to progress to an acute state as there is less far for it to absorb.


One point that I would like to call out is that , we are concerned with ACUTE cases of the disease and not any milder form. Answer C might confuse some people who may miss out on the word Acute as that may lead them to think that the person already has the disease and hence choice C is irrelevant.