News Release

Monday, February 9, 2004

CONTACT: Colleen Young, 202-686-2210, ext. 330, cyoung@pcrm.org

Miami, FL—Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is debuting a provocative ad to alert men and their partners of the link between fatty, meat-heavy diets and erectile dysfunction (ED). The ad, titled “Room 103,” depicts a romantic hotel room and a steamy sexual encounter that comes to a crashing halt because of ED. The camera then pans to the remains of what the couple had had for dinner—a meat-heavy, high-fat dinner on the room service tray. The ad ends with the tag line, “Eating meat contributes to artery blockages—and that can make you impotent.” PCRM is launching the campaign in Miami on CNN, Lifetime, and ESPN the week of Valentine’s Day.

“Many middle-aged and older men are taking drugs like Viagra, not realizing the problem is their diet—loaded with saturated fat,” says PCRM nutrition director Amy Lanou, Ph.D. “Artery blockages don’t just affect the heart. They can hit any organ.”

Jody Gorran, a 53-year-old Florida businessman, personally experienced both ED and cardiovascular disease while following the meat-heavy Atkins diet. After two years on the diet, Mr. Gorran needed his first Viagra prescription, and six months later, underwent his first angioplasty after having developed a 99 percent blockage of a major coronary artery. Mr. Gorran says, “Erectile dysfunction was the least of my problems. After my cardiac procedure, I refused to continue on the Atkins diet. I switched to a healthy, low-saturated fat diet. Within 60 days, my cholesterol level dropped from 215 to 146, and much to my surprise, I didn’t need the Viagra anymore.

“We encourage men experiencing ED and who are following any fatty diet—including Atkins—to switch to a low-fat, low-cholesterol vegetarian diet. It will help them lose weight healthfully and may also help them function better sexually,” says Dr. Lanou.

For more information on the dangers associated with the Atkins diet, please visit www.AtkinsDietAlert.org. For a copy of “Room 103” or to schedule an interview with Dr. Amy Lanou or Jody Gorran, please contact Colleen Young at (202) 686-2210, ext. 330, or cyoung@pcrm.org.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, especially good nutrition. PCRM also conducts clinical research studies, opposes unethical human experimentation, and promotes alternatives to animal research.

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