Question

Read the passage.

Pernicious Anemia
In the 1920s, George Minot was searching for a cure for pernicious anemia, a then-fatal disease characterized by the body's inability to produce enough red blood cells. Minot began experimenting with feeding large amounts of beef liver to his patients—up to half a pound per day. Incredibly, the diet produced marked improvements. Why the medical miracle? As revealed by later research, liver contains high levels of vitamin B₁₂, which is essential for the production of red blood cells. People with pernicious anemia lack a glycoprotein called intrinsic factor, which helps the body absorb vitamin B₁₂ in the small intestine. As a result, their red blood cell numbers drop. Because Minot's patients could absorb only a tiny percentage of the vitamin B₁₂ in their food, they had to ingest large amounts of liver in order to survive. Today, people with pernicious anemia are prescribed B₁₂ injections so that they no longer have to rely on the "liver cure."
What is the main, or central, idea of the passage?

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The main idea of the passage is that George Minot discovered that feeding large amounts of beef liver could improve the symptoms of pernicious anemia, which was later determined to be due to the high levels of vitamin B₁₂ in the liver.

Answer 2

[AI-generated answer — Step-by-Step Bot]

The main idea of the passage is that George Minot discovered a cure for pernicious anemia by feeding his patients large amounts of liver, which is rich in vitamin B₁₂, and later research revealed that vitamin B₁₂ is essential for the production of red blood cells.