grammar - Collective agreement: "their risks" or "their risk"


"Individuals with high LDL cholesterol levels increase their risk of developing coronary heart disease." Would it be "their risks"? Does each individual have a separate risk...therefore "risks"? Or do they collectively have a risk?


Similarly, "Most Americans eat more than enough protein in their diets." Would it be diet? Do Americans have separate diets or a collective diet?



Answer



I would go with the singular for both, I think: "their risk" and "their diet". Although we are talking about a group of people, we are specifically talking about a hypothetical singular example. For instance, we aren't comparing several peoples' diets, we are referring to the singular diet of the average individual.


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