A recently issued twenty year study on headaches suffered by the residents of Mentia investigated the possible therapeutic effect of consuming salicylates Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin a medicine used to treat headaches Al

In this argument, the twenty-year study conducted in Mentia predicts the reduction in number of headache reports if – and only if – they consume salicylates which can also be used as a preservative. This conclusion, however, depends on several disputable assumptions, and is therefore implausible.
First, it is erroneous to assume that the conditions that were prevalent during the twenty years study are the same presently, and will remain the same in future. If for the benefits of the doubt, I agree to the efficiency of the salicylates during the research, I am left with the question of the intensity of these headaches. If a drug is efficient in treating mild headaches, it may not be efficient in treating more severe headaches. Thus, a recommendation of such will only lead to drug abuse amongst the people of Mentia with no solution to their headaches.
Secondly, the study assumes that foods containing salicylates are widely consumed. It may be right that many foods contain salicylates and food-processing companies also use the same as preservatives, but how effective will this be to the people of Mentia if they do not consume the foods containing this, whether naturally or additionally - as preservatives. Hence, assuring that reported headaches would reduce in the coming years, will be misleading.
Furthermore, I can not guarantee the accuracy of this research. For this research to be accurate, I need to know the method of data collected. How sure are the study participants of the number of reported headaches? It is also important to note that, an unreported situation does not mean it does not exist. Maybe all inhabitants of Mentia were asked to gather at a location for observation and majority decided to stay back at home. The study participants must have based their conclusions on the few persons that obliged to this study, and used their findings as a reflection of the actual conditions of people in Mentia.
Also, even if I agree to the correlation between the increase in commercial use of salicylates and decline in the average number of headaches reported, I am moved to ask if the salicylate-containing foods are not only used by individuals to feed their livestock or pets. Hence, this study does not delineate the actual commercial use of these items, it will be wrong to conclude that they are actually consumed by human beings.
Summarily, it is misleading and problematic to recommend the consumption of salicylates to the people of Mentia judging from a study with such loopholes. Hence, I need details of the statistics of this study describing the method(s) of data collection, a correlation between this twenty-year study and the current and future trends of Mentia, and an assurance that virtually everyone in Mentia consumes salicylates before I will agree with this ambiguous recommendation.