Foods advertised during football telecasts unhealthy

UF Health Podcasts

Your family physician might throw the yellow penalty flag over the food advertised during televised professional football games.

Millions of Americans watch NFL games every fall and winter. Football is the nation’s most popular sport, and advertisers want to tap the millions of people focused on every pass and tackle.

A recent study in JAMA Network Open urges us to pay as much attention to the nutritional labels of the food advertised during games as we do the score.

That’s because the food is often as unhealthy as a blindside hit on the quarterback.

Researchers studied 102 food-related commercials during 10 NFL games played from September to November 2023. The ads included store-bought food and restaurant fare.

The ad menu, it turns out, is packed with calories, salt, and fat.

Of the store-bought products like chocolate bars and chips, the median number of calories was 490. Median sodium levels stood at a staggering 910 milligrams.

Meals from fast food chains measured 1,400 calories and were also astronomically high in salt.

The results, of course, aren’t surprising. After all, the ads included foods like chocolate bars, chips, and a range of offerings from the nation’s best-known fast-food joints. American broccoli farmers aren’t spending much time pitching their produce.

Scientists said the frequency of the ads took them aback.

It’s a challenge for physicians to influence our dietary choices in the face of slick advertisements.

Researchers say it’s worth family doctors asking patients if they watch much football and warning them about the unhealthy foods that will tempt them.

Don’t play games with your health.