WASHINGTON -- The Republican-controlled House on Wednesday voted in favor of a bill that would shield food companies and restaurants from obesity-related lawsuits.

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In a 276-139 vote, the house backed a ban on such lawsuits, saying such cases could bankrupt fast-food chains and restaurants.

The bill targets lawsuits that contend food companies and their supersize offerings are responsible for Americans putting on the pounds and lurching toward obesity.

House Republicans in recent years have approved similar bills barring suits against the gun industry for gun crimes and against businesses for asbestos-related health problems. Not one measure has passed the closely divided Senate.

The bill was prompted by the fast-food industry's complaints about a rash of lawsuits that blame the food for Americans' bulging bellies and the health problems related to obesity. Most such claims have been dismissed in court.

Before the vote, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas said, "If you eat a lot of food and you get sick, it's your responsibility."

Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif., agreed: "Americans are eating themselves to death and looking for someone to blame."

In a statement supporting the Republican House bill, the White House said the food industry shouldn't be sued over "a person's consumption of legal, unadulterated food."

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But many Democrats say the bill banning such lawsuits is a Republican political ploy to hurt trial lawyers and help the multibillion-dollar food business.

A vegetarian-oriented physicians group said that the "Cheeseburger Bill" is anticonsumer and antihealth.

Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an animal-rights organization, said the bill is "an unsavory attempt to protect corporate profits at the expense of American health."

The PCRM says the top donors for the bill's sponsor, Rep. Ric Keller, R-Fla., include Outback Steakhouse and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

"We were smart enough not to grant the tobacco industry immunity years ago, and tough enough not to give the gun industry immunity last week," Barnard said. "Let's not treat big food any differently."

McDonald's recently announced that it will end its "super-size" campaign, which includes enormous helpings of fries and drinks, except for special promotions in its more than 13,000 U.S. restaurants.

Several soft-drink makers also plan to offer a larger number of healthier products.