Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Reebok Kicked by FTC for Sneaker Health Claims
So much for those claims that wearing Reebok EasyTone sneakers
will give you better legs and buttocks. The U.S. Federal Trade
Commission has put its foot down on the marketing tactic and said
Reebok could pay as much as $25 million in refunds for misleading
customers.
"Consumers expected to get a workout, not to get worked over," said David Vladeck, director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection, according to The New York Times.
Introduced in 2009, the sneakers were advertised to strengthen
and tone legs 11 percent better than walking shoes and shape a
behind 28 percent better than regular footwear. But research
backing up the advertising pitch was "wholly insufficient," Vladeck
told the
Times. He did not say whether makers of other toning shoes would be disciplined as well.
Consumers who bought EasyTone shoes, which typically cost $100
or more, can apply for a refund at www.ftc.gov.
Reebok, a division of Adidas, agreed to the settlement but
disputed the FTC allegations. "We stand by our EasyTone
technology," a company spokesman told the
Times in an email.
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Tyson Recalls Ground Beef After E. Coli Scare
Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. is recalling more than 130,000 pounds of
ground beef because of possible contamination following a report
that an Ohio family was sickened by E. coli bacteria after eating
the meat.
The ground beef, sold primarily in Midwestern, Southern and
Middle Atlantic states, was pre-packaged in tubes bearing a "best
before" date of Sept. 12 and the number 245D, according to the
Associated Press. The tainted beef, traced to a Tyson plant in Emporia, Kan., had a lean to fat ratio of 73/27.
A Tyson spokesman said consumers should check their freezers for
any uneaten beef and throw away or return any that falls under the
recall, which was announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
on Wednesday.
According to the
AP, the recall includes Butcher's Beef beef sold at Food Lion supermarkets; Kroger-brand beef sold at Kroger Co. supermarkets; and generic-label beef for sale at Spectrum Foods, Supervalu SAV-A-LOT, and the Defense Commissary Agency.
The Butcher's Brand ground beef was distributed in North and
South Carolina in 3-pound packages, and the Kroger ground beef was
distributed in Tennessee and Indiana in 5-pound packages. The
generic beef was packaged in 3-pound tubes and distributed in
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri,
New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, the
AP said.
Four children in Ohio's Butler County reportedly became ill the
second week of September after eating beef bought at a Kroger
supermarket. Health officials said no other cases have been
reported in Butler County, the news service reported.
A list of retailers that received the beef will be posted on the
USDA's website: www.fsis.usda.gov/FSISRecalls.
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Health-Care Reform Appeals Taken to Supreme Court
Twenty-six states have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a
speedy ruling on "grave" constitutional concerns surrounding
President Barack Obama's new health care law, the
Associated Press reported.
Critics of the health care overhaul object to the provision that
people must buy purchase insurance beginning in 2014 or pay a
penalty.
The states' complaint also opposes expansion of the publicly
funded Medicaid program and a mandate that states must pay
penalties if they fail to provide their employees with a certain
level of insurance coverage, the
AP said.
The Federation of Independent Business also appealed to the
Supreme Court on Wednesday, asking that it overturn the entire law,
not just the requirement to buy health insurance -- a provision
struck down by a federal appeals court in Atlanta.
Retired Justice John Paul Stevens told the
AP on Wednesday that he thinks the justices should act
quickly and not delay the case beyond next year's presidential
election.