Junk food advertisements make children eat 130 extra calories a day: Study

India Today

12-05-2025

Children and teenagers who watch junk food advertisements consume more calories during the day, regardless of the type of media used, a new UK-led study has found.Researchers said just five minutes of exposure to ads for high fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS) foods led children aged 7 to 15 to eat an average of 130 extra calories in a day, equivalent to two slices of bread.advertisementThe study, conducted by the University of Liverpool and presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, comes amid growing calls globally to restrict unhealthy food advertising to curb rising childhood obesity.
"This study offers vital new insight into how food marketing affects what young people eat. Even brief exposure to unhealthy food ads can drive excess calorie consumption and, over time, contribute to weight gain," said lead author Professor Emma Boyland.The randomised crossover trial involved 240 children from schools across Merseyside, UK, who were shown five-minute blocks of either HFSS food advertisements or non-food advertisements across four media types: TV-style video (audiovisual), image-only (such as social media posts), audio (like radio or podcasts), and static formats (such as billboards).The ads varied between product-focused and brand-only formats, the latter showing only logos and branding without specific food products.
This study offers vital new insight into how food marketing affects what young people eat. ()
advertisementResearchers found that after viewing junk food ads, children ate 58 more calories in snacks, 72 more at lunch, and 130 more overall, compared to when they watched non-food ads.Strikingly, brand-only ads, which do not feature actual food, were just as effective in increasing food intake as product ads.The effect of food advertising was consistent across all media types and unaffected by socioeconomic background. Children with higher body mass index (BMI) scores, however, tended to consume even more.'For each standardised unit increase in BMI, children consumed an extra 17 calories. This could further widen health inequalities if left unaddressed," said Boyland.She added that the study is the first to show that brand-only food ads, which currently fall outside most advertising regulations, can still lead to increased eating.
The study is the first to show that brand-only food ads, which currently fall outside most advertising regulations, can still lead to increased eating. ()
The experts highlighted that the findings strengthen the case for governments to enforce stricter limits on all types of unhealthy food marketing targeted at young people.advertisement'Marketing works, and it works fast. Unless policies catch up with the evidence, we risk letting a generation of children grow up surrounded by cues that encourage overeating and poor diet," Boyland added.The study adds to a growing body of research linking exposure to HFSS food marketing with increased calorie intake, potentially fuelling the childhood obesity crisis across many countries.