Q5 - Physiologist: The likelihood of developing osteoporosis

[smiller]

Question Type:
Explain a Result

Stimulus Breakdown:
Expected Result:
In countries where fruits and vegetables are the main source of calcium instead of dairy, we would expect the incidence of osteoporosis to be higher, or at best the same, as in countries where people consume a great deal of calcium from dairy.

Unexpected Result:
The incidence of osteoporosis is much lower in countries where people get their calcium from fruit and vegetables.

Answer Anticipation:
As is often the case with these questions, there are a large number of explanations that could explain the unexpected result. The stimulus states that dairy contains more calcium per serving than fruits and vegetables, but perhaps people eat more servings of fruits and vegetables, and take in more calcium overall, in the countries with a lower incidence of osteoporosis. Perhaps there is something about fruits and vegetables in addition to the calcium they contain that make them more effective at preventing osteoporosis. It's time to stay flexible.

Correct Answer:
(E)

Answer Choice Analysis:
(A) Irrelevant. If a healthy person has "excess" calcium then they aren't suffering from a deficiency, and would suffer the increased risk of osteoporosis described in the stimulus. This doesn't help to explain the difference described in the stimulus.

(B) Irrelevant. The stimulus is about countries where people get most of their calcium from fruit and vegetables. Even if they're eating dairy products sometimes, they aren't eating enough to make dairy a significant source of calcium.

(C) Irrelevant. This doesn't explain the difference between countries where people get calcium from fruit and vegetables, and countries where people consume calcium from dairy.

(D) Irrelevant. Having deficiencies in other minerals doesn't help explain the difference described in the stimulus.

(E) This is correct. It would explain why people in countries that consume more dairy products still have a higher incidence of osteoporosis.

Takeaway/Pattern: The correct answer to an Explain a Result question will usually introduce a new piece of information that helps explain the discrepancy. Correct answers aren't always easy to predict, so it's important to stay flexible.

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