The chief executive of Irish Heart Foundation has called for immediate action at Government level to protect children and young people from the marketing of unhealthy foods.
Speaking following the publication of the Irish National Teens' Food Survey, Michael O'Shea said there were already increasing levels of diabetes and a real possibility of increasing levels of heart disease at a younger age.
He said this would result in a wide range of social, economic and healthcare problems and faced with this public health problem, doing nothing was not an option.
He called for the immediate implementation of controls on food and drink advertising to children to combat obesity.
In the UK, restrictions had already been introduced on advertising of certain foods on TV up to 7pm.
At the publication of the report in Dublin, Prof Albert Flynn, department of food and nutritional science, University College, Cork, said clear guidelines for healthy eating for teens - focusing on appropriate portion sizes, lower consumption of fat, salt, sugared drinks and higher intake of vegetables, fruit and fibre - were needed.
Prof Mike Gibney, institute of food and health, UCD, said the issue should be tackled by the social partners.
He said the unions had led the campaign for smoke-free environments and this route should be explored to deal with problems of overweight and obesity in teenagers.