US EditionFive minutes of junk food advertising ‘leads children to eat 130 extra calories’
- In May 2025, researchers revealed findings from a randomized crossover trial in Malaga showing that children consumed additional calories after brief exposure to junk food advertisements.
- The trial involved 240 children aged seven to 15 from UK schools and measured calorie intake after five minutes of ads for foods high in fat, sugar, and salt.
- Children consumed an average of 130 additional calories per day, including 58.4 more calories from snacks, regardless of media type or socioeconomic background.
- Professor Emma Boyland explained that exposure to advertising for unhealthy foods causes young people to consume more calories consistently, which can contribute to gradual weight gain over time.
- The findings support urgent policies restricting junk food advertising to children, with a new UK ban starting in October aiming to reduce childhood obesity cases.
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Five minutes exposure to junk food marketing results in children consuming 130 kcals more per day, trial finds
Exposure to junk food advertisements (relative to non-food) results in children and adolescents consuming significantly more calories during the day, regardless of the type of media advertising, according to a randomized crossover trial being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11–14 May).
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