An article published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Last updated: 10/29/2023

An article published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution included good news and bad news The good news is that a Southern diet is delicious and makes us happy The bad nev the risk of our dying early This statement was based on an observational study of more than 21 000 people ages 45 and older that included 10 years of follow up The study who ate a Southern style diet most regularly had a 46 higher risk of sudden cardiac death than people who had the least adherence to this dietary pattern Based on this stu conclude that a Southern style diet causes higher rates of cardiac death Explain why or why not No it not a reasonable conclusion because cause and effect conclusions cannot be drawn from an observational study Yes it is a reasonable conclusion because a 46 increase is a large enough effect that it must be related at least partially to diet Yes it is a reasonable conclusion because the 10 year follow up allows us to make valid comparisons of the effects of different diets No it not a reasonable conclusion because sudden cardiac events are not the only cause of early death