Description
75 to 100 words
Explanation & Answer
The basic point of the article that one should not skip breakfast is
probably good advice. However, the way it cites the study suggests that
not eating in the morning will cause one to smoke and drink more, among
other undesirable things. This is a textbook example of mistaking
correlation for causation, or at least implying causation when it has
yet to be demonstrated.
It's at least a reasonable hypothesis that the same factors that
contribute to people smoking and drinking might cause them not to eat
breakfast. Therefore, it is irresponsible to imply that starting to eat
breakfast will help with one's smoking and drinking problems when one
might be better off dealing with some underlying cause, such as
depression or workplace stress.
The point about skipping breakfast leading to obesity was somewhat
better, as a tentative reason was provided, it is harder to think of
alternative explanations, and other studies have indeed shown evidence
of a mechanism that would lead to skipping breakfast causing obesity
(increased food cravings). Overall, a person taking this article at face
value might take up one good habit while weakening their ability to
properly analyze data and make rational decisions.
Review
Review
