The following appeared in a newsletter about health published in the country of Sauria.

“According to Sauria’s leading nutritional experts, a diet high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat is optimal for good health and longevity. Because this was the diet of the people who lived in ancient Sauria, one would expect them to have had long and healthy lives. Yet the mummified remains of Sauria’s ruling classes from two to three thousand years ago show the existence of many medical problems among the ancient Saurians, including dental problems, elevated blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, and early mortality. Clearly, the diet of the ancient Saurians was responsible for these problems. The high incidence of high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease in Sauria today even among those who have tried low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets further proves that Sauria’s leading nutritional experts are wrong.”

The given memo recommends that all the stores of Christine’s should start stocking pottery items and they should display posters aimed at attracting college-age people to buy the pottery items. The arguer asserts that the store managers should ensure that the shelf space in the stores is reallocated to accommodate pottery items. The arguer concludes that these actions would ensure an increase in profits for Christine’s chain of craft stores. The argument is supported by articles in several newspapers that have highlighted an increased interest in pottery. Moreover, the number of potters in the country has risen by eighteen percent in the past five years and pottery is fast becoming popular among college going people. However, in several respects the evidence provided by the arguer lends little credible support to the argument.

The arguer makes an unfair comparison between the ancient Saurians and the present generation of Saurians. The conditions that existed in Sauria two to three thousand years ago are bound to be extremely different from the present scenario. The medical facilities that are available today were not even dreamt of by the ancient Saurians. This lack of medical assistance could account for the early mortality and the high blood pressure and other health related problems. Common information like pursuing exercises for overall good health and brushing teeth daily for good dental hygiene were not known in those days and therefore, people would have contracted several ailments despite following a diet that was high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat. Moreover, as the mummified remains are those of the rulers of the ancient Saurians, their health conditions cannot be used to determine the health conditions of all the ancient Saurians. The rulers led a better lifestyle as compared to the common people and hence, their diet and the diet of the common men would not be the same. Even if the ancient Saurians did lead a life that was the same as those of their rulers, the arguer needs to eliminate other probable causes of medical problems like fatigue, overexposure to heat and cold, lack of sleep etc. before the reader can be convinced that their diet did not affect their health in any way whatsoever.

The second assumption made by the arguer with respect to the ailments being suffered by the present generation is also fallacious. The arguer fails to provide statistical data related to the percentage of people with medical aliments who have stuck to the recommended diet for a long period of time. It is likely that the people who are following the recommended diet are suffering from these medical problems for a long time and they have recently switched over to the recommended diet. On the other hand, it is likely that these people are not religiously following the recommended diet and they binge on food with high fat content quite frequently. At the same time, it is likely that the people are following the recommended diet but they lead a monotonous lifestyle that is devoid of any form of physical exercise. Moreover, the arguer does not mention the age group of the people who are reporting medical problems despite following the recommended diet. This information becomes even more crucial in light of the commonly known fact that after a certain age, the human body becomes more susceptible to diseases.

Therefore, due to lack of crucial evidence, the arguer fails to convince the reader that the diet recommended by the leading nutritionists is not effective in curtailing the medical problems among Saurians. Following a dietary regime can help in controlling the medical problems that you are likely to face. Although no diet can completely eradicate the root cause of any form of medical problem, a carefully planned diet can definitely help you to control that disease resulting in longevity and health as has been seen in the case of heart problems which may be hereditary also. Therefore, the arguer’s contention that the recommended diet has been found to be ineffective is highly questionable due to lack of crucial evidence in its support.