Teenagers who watch lots of TV with ads are more likely to eat junk food, suggesting a "strong association between advertisements and eating habits", according to a report.
Cancer Research UK warned that being bombarded by TV ads for unhealthy, high-calorie food could lead youngsters to eat more than 500 extra snacks such as chips, biscuits and fizzy drinks throughout the course of a single year.
When they watched TV without adverts, researchers found no link between screen time and the likelihood of eating more junk food, suggesting that the ads on commercial TV may be driving youngsters to snack on more unhealthy food.
Regularly eating high-calorie food and drink - which usually have higher levels of fat and sugar - increases the risk of becoming overweight or obese.
Lead author Dr Jyotsna Vohra said: "This is the strongest evidence yet that junk food adverts could increase how much teens choose to eat.
"We're not claiming that every teenager who watches commercial TV will gorge on junk food, but this research suggests there is a strong association between advertisements and eating habits.
"Our report suggests that reducing junk food TV marketing could help to halt the obesity crisis."
