|
TOPIC: ARGUMENT187 - The following appeared as part of an article in a health magazine. . "A new discovery warrants a drastic change in the diets of people living in the United States. Two scientists have recently suggested that omega -3 fatty acids (found in some fish and fish oils) play a key role in mental health. Our ancestors, who ate less saturated fat and more polyunsaturated fat, including omega -3 fatty acids, were much less likely to suffer from depression than we are today. Moreover, modern societies-such as those in Japan and Taiwan-that consume large quantities of fish report depression rates lower than that in the United States. Given this link between omega -3 fatty acids and depression, it is important for all people in the United States to increase their consumption of fish in order to prevent depression." . DATE: 2007-11-2 time: 长 字数:482 . In this argument, the author recommends that all people in the United States must eat more fish in order to prevent depression. To support this recommendation, the author claims that the ancestors were much less likely to suffer from depression than we are today, modern societies-such as those in Japan and Taiwan-that consume large quantities of fish have a lower depression rates than that in the United States. Carefully scrutiny of these evidence, however, reveals that none of them is sufficient to support this recommendation. . To begin with, the author builds a insufficient and simple link between ormega-3 fatty acids and depression. Even if omega-3 fatty acids play a key role in mental health, there is no evidence to justify that the ancestors' diet is the primary factor for leading to the low depression rates in that time. Perhaps, the rather slow life-step is the vital factor to prevent depression. In that time, people's life-step is more leisure and slower compared to contemporary high stress and rapid-step life, and such kind of lifestyle is healthier and more beneficial to prevent depression. Lacking the further study, the author can not convince me that diet is the vital factor due to depression. . Moreover, even if the diets of ancestors is the primary factor due to the depression, there is no evidence to support that eating omega-3 fatty acids is the vital factor in the diets keeping people from depression. Perhaps, there is a more appropriate diet structure in ancestors' diet. Perhaps they draw more attention on eating, and lovely ate more vegetables and proteins, and less fat compared to modern’s fast-food of high-fat ingredient. So without further evidence about whether the people before and today have the same proportion on vegetable, corn and protein in their diet, the argument provides no credible evidence to support this recommendation. . Thirdly, modern societies-such as those in Japan and Taiwan -that can keep a lower depression rates than that in the United States is not necessarily attributed to consuming large quantities of fish, but they have a slower and leisure life-steps than today's America. Or perhaps, their traditional culture that people have a more emphasis on family reunions and harmony, and have low divorce rates plays a vital role in prevent depression. To the contrary, people in modern United States have a culture more emphasis on individual and more independent life than those Asian's country, so they feel lonelier and solely, and less care from family that lend people high depression rates. . In conclusion, the argument is unpersuasive as it stands. To bolster it the author must provide more sufficient evidence and the further study about what percent influence came from the culture and life-steps. Without further evidence, the author is not justify that ormega-3 fatty acids is the vital factor due to lower depression, and not justify eating fish plays a vital role for people preventing depression.
[ 本帖最后由 Bellona0428 于 2007-11-2 21:22 编辑 ] | 
发表于 2007-11-2 21:18:14
签到领寄托币
GO
转发
