Food Advertised on NFL Games Loaded With Salt, Fat, Calories

Exposure to food advertising during National Football League (NFL) games and other big sporting events may lead adults with diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, and other chronic conditions to ignore prescribed dietary restrictions, new research suggested.

Published online on January 30 in JAMA Network Open, the cross-sectional study of store-bought food and quick-service restaurant advertisements found that the median content of advertised food was 910 mg sodium, 490 calories, 35 mg cholesterol, 11 g sugar, 56 g carbohydrates, and 14 g protein.

Excess dietary intake of foods with higher-than-recommended amounts of salt, sugar, and fat is “frequent with ingestion of processed and prepared foods, including those from high-volume restaurants or other food establishments,” wrote Paul J. Hauptman, MD, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada. “Additionally, excess fat and caloric intake may influence the natural history of coronary artery disease, diabetes, and other conditions.”

It’s no wonder, then, that health and wellness platform Hims & Hers will unveil its first “Big Game” commercial, called “Sick of the System,” during Super Bowl LIX. The 60-second commercial, scheduled to air during the game’s third quarter, aims to help raise awareness of the obesity public health crisis. The organization notes that “in 2024, 42% of American TV households were watching the Super Bowl. And, as of September 2024, over 40% of adults in the United States are obese.”

‘Most Watched’ Sporting Events

Because NFL games are the most watched sporting events in the United States, the study authors recorded a convenience sample of 10 televised NFL games from September to November 2023 and analyzed commercials involving food (store-bought foods and quick-service restaurants), including the duration and frequency of the advertisement.

An individual serving size was determined by the presentation in each commercial (eg, a medium-sized pizza or fried chicken sandwich). Nutritional content for each food was defined by each company’s website. Input from the Dietary Reference Intakes, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, and the American Heart Association was used to compare with recommended daily intakes.

One hundred and two food-related commercials (median duration, 15 seconds) from 18 vendors were assessed, representing 10.8% of all consumer-facing advertiser content.

Advertised foods were frequently high in sodium, calorie, and fat content, as noted above. Meals at quick-service restaurants such as Burger King, Domino’s, and Panera Bread were higher in sodium, carbohydrates, and calories compared with smaller store-bought food options, such as Honey Bunches of Oats and Old El Paso enchiladas.

The authors concluded that individuals with heart failure and other cardiac and kidney diseases that might respond to dietary interventions should be counseled by clinicians about limiting their intake of most foods advertised during professional football games.

Brands, including food vendors, are well aware that Big Game ads can change consumer perceptions and behavior. In a recent market research survey, a combined 61% of respondents said it was very or somewhat likely that their perception of a brand would be changed as a result of broadcasting a commercial during coverage of the Big Game, and 40% said the ads would have a “direct impact” on how they spend their money.

No funding was reported, and the authors declared no competing interests.

Marilynn Larkin, MA, is an award-winning medical writer and editor whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Medscape Medical News and its sister publication MDedge, The Lancet (where she was a contributing editor), and Reuters Health.