Physician: The rise in blood pressure that commonly accompanies aging often results from a calcium deficiency. This ...

SamA on November 9, 2019

Hello @Meredith,

The rise in blood pressure is often a result of a calcium deficiency. However, the passage does not say that people consume less calcium as they get older. The problem is an inability to absorb calcium, caused by a vitamin D deficiency. There may be calcium present, but it doesn't do any good if the body can't absorb it.

Therefore, if one glass of milk per day is going to solve this calcium deficiency, what does it need? Not only should it contain enough calcium, but it should also have the type of vitamin D that allows calcium absorption. This is the assumption that A provides.

B. This tells us that milk doesn't make blood pressure any worse. That doesn't help us, because the conclusion says that drinking milk will make blood pressure better. Keeping it at the same level is not good enough.

C. Similar to B, this tells us that milk does not contribute to a vitamin D deficiency. There is already a vitamin D deficiency. We need to improve it, not keep it the same.

D. We only need to show that "some older people can lower their blood pressure by drinking milk." We do not need to guarantee that proper calcium absorption will maintain normal blood pressure in all people. There are likely other causes of high blood pressure.

E. "Anyone" is a bit too strong. The passage states that the calcium deficiency is "frequently" caused by a lack of vitamin D. Therefore, the argument doesn't require that this is always the cause.