[YB-2] 7月11日作业 by 忘了密码的E

忘了密码的EUID: 2354139

35. Salicylates and headaches (7/11)
The summary on headaches suffered by the citizens of Mentia argues that salicylates, added to foods as preservatives, helped residents who suffered from headaches for the last two decades and there will be a continued decline in the number of headaches if the food commercials use salicylates as flavor additives. This study seems to make a lot of sense, but further examination shows that salicylates, although members of the same chemical family as aspirin, may not be that magical in continuing curing headaches.

To begin with, it is not clear that during the last twenty years, the use of salicylates as preservatives was the only reason why participants reported fewer headaches. The medical industry has been on a fast trend of growth, and hundreds of new drugs are created, tested, and went to the market every year. Among those participants, some might have taken new medicines that helped them to get rid of headaches. Some participants might have gone through the change from workaholics to retirees. Since pressure is known as one of the reasons why people get headaches, this transforming in roles might help to cut the frequent appearance of headache.

Also, it seems rather vague to me whether salicylates are that powerful in treating headaches for the reason that many foods are naturally rich in salicylates. If salicylates do cure headaches and they commonly exist in what we eat everyday, why there is still headache? Even if the salicylates-based preservatives were proved effective, we can hardly draw the conclusion that salicylates, without being made as preservatives, helped treating headaches. Since there should be some difference in how do salicylates’ chemical characteristics got changed during the procedures of becoming preservatives and flavor additives, it is not wise to say that this new use of salicylates can promise a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia.

Last but not least, no matter how powerful salicylates are, we should be aware of the problem of overdosing. If people intake too much of one compound, there is a danger of overdosing. The author failed to provide any amount data in the study, thus we do not know if, by eating food which contains preservatives and addictives whose raw materials were both salicylates, people will be less or more likely to get headaches.

In conclusion, a more complete study should be constructed to prove that eating food with salicylates as preservatives was the only or at least the dominant reason why participants reported fewer headaches over those years. Also, the arguer has to make sure that the procedures of making salicylates food preservatives and flavor additives remained or have the same way to change salicylates’ characteristics. Moreover, it is important that the firms keep the problem of overdosing in mind before taking any further steps.