A Boston diabetes researcher says the almost $25 billion a year that food and automobile companies are spending to push "products that could be argued to directly and indirectly promote obesity is alarming."

Dr. Garry Welch of the Joslin Diabetes Center, in a letter to the editor published in the journal Diabetes Care, noted that in 2001, $3.5 billion was spent on advertising 9 brands of fast foods, $768 million advertising the top five soft drink brands, and $15.5 billion advertising automobiles.

Welch said he believes that just as nicotine addiction and lung cancer could be attributed to "aggressive business practices" in the tobacco industry, "obesity and type 2 diabetes are toxic side effects in the case of promotion of fast foods, cars, etc. to everyone."

"Only when we have a clear understanding of the cultural problem we face regarding obesity and type 2 diabetes and have educated the US public about this, much in the way we went from ignorance to awareness regarding the cigarette industry, will we have the platform to make meaningful changes in business practices promoting obesity," he added.

Other sources: Diabetes Care