Burger King, Hummer, and TGI Friday’s Vie for Least Healthful Ad in Online Poll; TV Spots Exploit Male Insecurity, Dare Men to Risk Their Health

WASHINGTON – Doctors are decrying a new trend in television commercials that dare men to show their “manliness” by eating unhealthful foods. A Burger King ad links masculinity to burgers, TGI Friday’s mocks a guy who eats broccoli, and a Hummer is portrayed as a manhood-restoring car for a tofu-buying man who wants to measure up to meat-eaters.

Two-thirds of American men are overweight, more than one-third will die of heart disease, and nearly half will develop cancer. Doctors and dietitians from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) hold that the ads—promoting fat- and cholesterol-laden foods—increase these risks. In a new online poll, PCRM asks visitors to its website to fight back by watching the three commercials and voting on which one sends the worst health message.

“This new genre of TV ads is tantamount to daring men to smoke or abuse alcohol,” said PCRM dietitian Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. “There is nothing comical about a coronary.”

In America and developed countries around the world, rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity have reached unprecedented levels. Strong evidence suggests that healthy diets may even help prevent heart disease and many forms of cancer from striking in the first place.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research,and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.