Food advertising during NFL games and other big sporting events may prompt adults with diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease and other chronic conditions to ignore prescribed dietary restrictions, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed 102 advertisements for store-bought food and quick-service restaurants advertised during the games and found that the advertised food had a median content of 910 mg sodium, 490 calories, 35 mg cholesterol, 11 g sugar, 56 g carbohydrates, and 14 g protein.

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.

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. “Additionally, excess fat and caloric intake may influence the natural history of coronary artery disease, diabetes, and other conditions.”

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

To read the full research letter, published in JAMA Network Open, click here