Logical Reasoning

PT10 · S1 · Q2 Switching to “low-yield” cigarettes

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Switching to “low-yield” cigarettes, those that yield less nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes when tested on a standard machine, does not, in general, reduce the incidence of heart attack.

Given that ...

Nicotine and CO1 are causal factors in heart disease. and that "Low-yield" cigarettes have less nicotine and CO1 than regular cigarettes.

How can it be that ...

Switching to low-yield cigarettes doesn't, in general, reduce the incidence of heart attack?

Evaluate

It's possible that it's too late to save the smoker's heart by the time they switch to "low yield" cigs. Maybe the long term damage has been done, and so even though their new cigs are milder than their old ones, the incidence of heart attack remains the same because of previous damage.

It's also possible that something else changes when smokers switch to low-yield. Maybe they start smoking more cigarettes than before, so even though each cigarette has less bad stuff in it, cumulatively they still inhale the same amount of bad stuff.

Goal

Look for some story for how people who switch to low-yield cigs still end up with similar heart problems.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy?

Smoking low-yield cigarettes has become
No Impact
The fact that low-yield cigs are trendy doesn't explain why they still lead to heart problems. And if they're part of a broader trend of healthier lifestyles, then presumably smokers who are switching to them as part of a desire to live a healthier lifestyle might make other positive changes too (like better diet, more exercise). So if anything, this deepens the puzzle of why they don't see heart improvement.
1% picked this
For those who are themselves
No Impact
This rules out a potential way to explain the puzzle. We might have explained the heart problems of low-yield smokers by saying, "Sure, their cigs are milder now, but they're constantly around other smokers whose full-yield smoke is drifting into their lungs. And that's why the low-yield smokers still have the same rate of heart problems." But this answer rules out that possibility.
1% picked this
Nicotine does not contribute as
No Impact
We know both contribute. It doesn't matter which one contributes more, or whether they contribute equally. Low-yield cigarettes have less of both, either way, so telling us which of those chemicals was the bigger threat doesn't do anything to explain why having less of each isn't leading to happier hearts.
2% picked this
Carbon monoxide and cigarette tar
No Impact
Whether CO and tar are addictive doesn't address the heart attack rate question. This doesn't give us any story to tell about why switching to a milder cigarette doesn't result in any heart improvement.
1% picked this
Correct
People who switch from high-yield
Why this is right
This provides a distinction between low-yield smokers and full-yield smokers. When they switch to low-yield, something else changes: they start taking more puffs per cig and taking deeper puffs, both of which contribute to getting more nicotine and CO1 into the lungs. So they're smoking something less dangerous, but they're smoking it in a more dangerous way, and thus it cancels out to give them similar heart problems.
Skill tested: Paradox · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
95% picked this

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