PT49.S2.Q21 - since the sweetness of sugared beverages

The 180 Bro_OVO

https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-49-section-2-question-21
We are told that Sugared beverages can be helpful in avoiding dehydration AND sugared beverages can delay muscle fatigue.

However, the stimulus denotes this is BEFORE one is dehydrated.Or at least that was my reading.

If you are already dehydrated, we are not told sugared beverages beverages with any level of sugar will help.

Thus for B, if you have problems that have come as a result of being dehydrated, how would taking in lightly sugared beverages be of assistance? If anything, it would seem they would make your problems worse every time for it would be drawing water from the blood to the stomach.

I might be interpreting this incorrectly.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

quinnxzhang

The first sentence in the stimulus simply says that sugared beverages CAN be helpful in avoiding dehydration, not that sugared beverages are ONLY helpful in avoiding dehydration. Given this, we shouldn't presume that the benefits of drinking sugared beverages only apply before dehydration.

And the second sentence says that small amounts of sugar can help with the absorption of water, contradicting your claim that sugared beverages would make dehydration problems worse every time. The stimulus says that large amounts exacerbate the problem, not small amounts.

runiggyrun

There are two key good things sugared beverage can do to help dehydration:
They taste good, so athletes are more likely to drink them to avoid dehydration (preventative)
Small amounts of sugar enhance the body's absorption of water (no timing given; premise is completely separate)
We also know that sugar is a substance that delays muscle fatigue.

So, it's not true that "invariably" ingesting a substance that delays muscle fatigue will exacerbate problems caused by dehydration. Consuming a small amount of sugar with your water will both delay muscle fatigue and enhance your body's ability to absorb the water.