Are Your Favourite Musicians Encouraging You To Eat Junk Food?

Ever had a craving for Pop-Tarts and not even known why? A new study conducted by NYU Langone Medical Centre may have just answered that for you. 

In a rigorous study released this week, researchers found that celebrity musicians popular with youth mainly endorse junk and unhealthy foods, with the finding that 71% of the endorsed drinks were sugary, 81% of the foods were energy-dense and nutrient-poor and no endorsements were made for fruits, vegetables or whole grains. 

As CNN reports, stars like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Baauer and Will.i.am were studied in regards to their endorsements over the years in the US — Timberlake has endorsed Pepsi and written a jingle for McDonald's, while Maroon 5's Adam Levine has endorsed both Coca-Cola and Snapple. Baauer endorsed the most products — Red Bull, Hot Pockets, Dr Pepper, A&W's restaurants and Pepsi. Korean pop star Psy was the only one who acquired a healthy score in the study for his promotion of pistachios.

The study looked at 163 pop stars in total, their popularity with youth in conjunction with their Teen Choice Award nominations and their album sale popularity from the 2013 and 2014 Billboard Hottest 100 charts, with studies of over 14 years worth of ads and endorsements.

PhD and lead author of the study Marie Bragg said, "These celebrity endorsement deals are often worth millions of dollars each, suggesting companies find them critical for promoting products … Because of our nation's childhood and teenage obesity public health crises, it is important to raise awareness about how companies are using celebrities popular with these audiences to market their unhealthy products."

But who can be sure what celebrities are telling us anyway? Beyonce's definitely sending us some conflicting messages…