[originaltext] In the United States, tobacco companies have had to pay large

In the United States, tobacco companies have had to pay large amounts of money to people who developed deadly diseases caused by smoking cigarettes. Fast food companies have become the next target of legal action.
    Some people have brought legal action against McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants. The people said this kind of food made them fat and sick. The lawsuits charged that fast food companies have not warned people that this kind of food could be harmful. There are about one-hundred-seventy-thousand fast food restaurants in America. They sell food that is high in fat, sugar and calories. These foods include meat sandwiches called hamburgers, potatoes cooked in oil and sweet drinks.
    One man charged that this kind of food caused him to have heart attacks and diabetes. Several families said their children got fat and also developed diabetes. One of these teenagers weights one-hundred-eighty kilograms. However, a federal judge in New York City later dismissed the teenagers’ case against McDonald’s.
    Some experts say Americans are the fattest people in the world. Two years ago, the top government doctor reported an increase in the number of Americans who are too fat. David Satcher said almost sixty percent of American adults weigh too much. Doctor Satcher also said thirteen percent of American children are too fat. He said the fast food industry, school and government agencies should change their policies. He said extreme overweight could become the nation’s leading cause of preventable death.