argument 142 红肉，实在写不出什么东西

宇文化天UID: 2236904

TOPIC: ARGUMENT142 - The article entitled 'Eating Iron' in last month's issue of Eating for Health reported that a recent study found a correlation between high levels of iron in the diet and an increased risk of heart disease. Further, it is well established that there is a link between large amounts of red meat in the diet and heart disease, and red meat is high in iron. On the basis of the study and the well-established link between red meat and heart disease, we can conclude that the correlation between high iron levels and heart disease, then, is most probably a function of the correlation between red meat and heart disease.
WORDS: 395          TIME: 0:30:00          DATE: 2007-3-2

In this argument, the arguer claim that the correlation between high iron levels and heart disease is most probably a function of the correlation between red meat and heart disease. to support his idea, the arguer cite the evidence that the result of a recent research showed that there was a correlation between high level of iron and heart disease. In addition, the arguer tell us that the red meat if high in iron. The conclusion sounds reasonable at first sight, but a careful examination will show how groundless the argument is.

In the first place, the arguer mistakes the correlation between high level of iron and the heart disease to be causal relationship. The result study just tells us the high level of iron in the diet and an increased risk of heart disease have correlation. No evidence show that the high level of iron would have a causal relationship of heart disease. It is possible that high level of iron is just one facor which is correlate with the increase risk of heart disease, but other factors effect far more than iron to cause heart disease.

In the second place, no evidence show that it is the iron in the red meat that have a link with heart disease. Even if the red meat have a certain link with heart disease, the arguer fail to convince us that it is the iron in the red meat have function of the correlation and heart disease. It might be other element in the red meat that make the red meat's link with heart disease. So the arguer fail to rule out other contains in red meat that might cause heart disease.

Last but not the least, the arguer ignore the complex of the iron. It might be that the iron in the study is in the different form with the iron in the red meat. It might be that the iron in the certain form in read meat have nothing to do with heart disease. The arguer tells us little about this.

In sum, the argument is not well reasoned. To make the conclusion more acceptable, the arguer should cite more evidence that the high level of iron in diet have a causal relationship with heart disease. In addition, the arguer should demonstrate that it is iron that make the red meat has correlation with heart disease.