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Jan. 22, 2003
Judge Throws Out McDonald's Obesity Suit

AP NEW YORK - Saying the law is not intended to protect people from their own excesses, a federal judge threw out a class-action lawsuit Wednesday that blamed McDonald's food for obesity, diabetes and other health problems in children.

"If a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of supersized McDonald's products is unhealthy and may result in weight gain ... it is not the place of the law to protect them from their own excesses," the judge said. "Nobody is forced to eat at McDonald's."

McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker said McDonald's has been providing nutrition information about its food for 30 years. He said McDonald's food "can fit into a healthy, well-balanced diet, based upon the choice and variety available on our menu."

Read the full story at The Miami Herald.com


Jan. 19, 2003
Miller Lite's 'Catfight' Ad Edited

Phil Mushnick, NY Post. Even the frenzied race to see who can establish a new low has its boundaries.

You've likely seen the new TV commercial for Miller Lite that displays two large-breasted young women ripping each other's clothes off to reveal inadequate undergarments. This charming ad has lately decorated Sunday afternoon NFL playoff telecasts.

But did you know that you've been watching the cleaned-up version? The original ads, which for a time aired on ESPN, ended with one of the women saying to the other, "Let's make out."

This final scene has been cut from the ads because it was deemed inappropriate.

Read the full story at NY Post


Claws Are Out Over Miller 'Catfight' Ad

By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY. Beermakers have been criticized for "beer and babes" ads that depict women as sexual objects. But a new Miller Brewing TV spot is being compared to some of the most notorious beer ads of the past, such as Old Milwaukee's "Swedish Bikini Team."

The Miller Lite commercial, called "Catfight," goes from a poolside argument into an angry, clothes-shredding, wrestling match between two women who end up in bras and panties. The ad has been broadcast to millions of homes during National Football League playoff games.

The controversial spot has angered some TV viewers. "Every time I see it, I cringe," says Laura Ries, an image guru. "It's explicit. It's degrading. It has no real message, except all men are idiots and all they think about are girls mud wrestling."

Read the full story at USA Today


Jan. 07, 2003
Beer-Belly Gene Found

Daniel DeNoon, WebMD. It's the end of the season for too much TV football, too much food, and, well, too much. But now some men can put the blame for their beer guts on something else -- their parents. Men who inherit a certain gene from both parents have a higher risk of abdominal fat, an Italian study finds.

"Overweight and abdominal [fat] were more common in men with the [certain gene type], particularly among older participants," write University of Naples researcher Pasquale Strazzulo, MD, and colleagues in the Jan. 7 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

Right now, the finding won't be of much help to men hoping to lose weight. But it's hoped that the findings will lead to a better understanding of how the body controls fat -- and to specific targets for new weight-loss drugs.

Read the full story at WebMD


Jan. 02, 2003
Beer Drinking May Kill Ulcer Bug

Daniel DeNoon, WebMD. If your cup of cheer is wine or beer, there's a bit of good news. Those who imbibe a few weekly glasses have a slightly lower risk of carrying a germ that causes stomach ulcers.

The germ is a common bacterium: Helicobacter pylori or H. pylori for short. It can cause stomach ulcers, although not everybody who carries the bug gets an ulcer. Antibiotic therapy is the only reliable way to cure an infection but now it looks as though wine and beer may help some people rid themselves of the bug. Liam J. Murray, MD, Queens University of Belfast, U.K., and colleagues tested 10,537 people for H. pylori infection.

"[The] results indicate that consumption of moderate amounts of alcohol in the form of wine, beer, lager, or cider may protect against H. pylori infection," the researchers report in The American Journal of Gastroenterology."

Read the full story at WebMD


Fiesta Bowl Fans Finally Get Beer

Erik Matuszewski. Tempe, Arizona. Beer will be flowing at the Fiesta Bowl for the first time when the University of Miami and Ohio State play for college football's national championship.

Responding to fan requests, officials from the bowl game and Arizona State University agreed with Sun Devil Stadium's concession service earlier this month to sell beer at Friday night's game.

The decision to end the 32-year beer ban came despite concern over the chance of alcohol-related trouble at the biggest game in a season plagued by fan rowdiness surrounding high-profile contests.

Read the full story at Bloomberg.com


Empty Beer Cans Give Germans a Headache

Mark Landler, NY Times. BERLIN. The German government is about to test the public's patience with refuse and red tape by imposing a mandatory deposit on aluminum cans and small bottles, which are not covered by other recycling plans.

Starting Jan. 1, shopkeepers were adding 25 or 50 cents to the price of nonreusable cans and bottles, depending on the size. To get the deposit back, customers must return the empties to the same shops where they bought them - proving it by showing either a receipt or the original packaging.

Even for Germans, who put up with some of the most pencil-pushing bureaucracy in Europe, this may be a step too far. "How can I remember where I bought a can of beer?" said Friedhelm Priefert.

For commuters who buy a can of beer in the Munich train station to drink on their way to Stuttgart, the new law will mean holding on to the can until they return to Munich, or throwing away the deposit. "In the end, the shop owners will win because not all the cans will be returned, and they'll keep the money," Priefert said, tossing his empty on to a growing pile of tin in a nearby garbage can.

Read the full story at International Herald Tribune


Drink Beer; Reduce Heart Attack Risk

Bring on the beer! A beer a day may help keep heart attacks away, according to a group of Israeli researchers. In preliminary clinical studies of a group of men with coronary artery disease, the researchers showed that drinking one beer (12 ounces) a day for a month produced changes in blood chemistry that are associated with a reduced risk of heart attack.

The study adds to growing evidence that moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in the developed world.

Changes observed in the blood of the test participants following beer-drinking include decreased cholesterol levels, increased antioxidants and reduced levels of fibrinogen, a clot-producing protein, reported the researchers.

Although the beer used in this study was a standard pale lager (5 per cent alcohol by volume), other beers are likely to have a similar effect, the researchers believe. A growing number of studies have linked moderate alcohol consumption to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack. Epidemiological studies have shown that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease than both heavy drinkers and non-drinkers.

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