Health buzzwords include “antioxidant” and “gluten free,” as well as “whole grain.” Such marketing tactics  falsely lead customers to believe that products labeled with those words are healthier than their actual contents, reveals a recent study, conducted by scholars from the University of Houston.

Temple Northup, assistant professor at the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston and principal investigator of the study, explains that this “false sense of health,” in addition to not understanding the information presented on nutrition fact panels on packaged food could be contributing to the obesity epidemic.

Northup said in a statement, “Saying Cherry 7-Up contains antioxidants is misleading. Food marketers are exploiting consumer desires to be healthy by marketing products as nutritious when, in fact, they’re not.”

The study focused on the connection consumers make between marketing terms on food packages and good health. Study results indicate that consumers generally view foods labeled with health-related euphemisms and buzzwords as healthier than ones that do not have them. Additionally, the research found that nutrition fact panels printed on food packaging, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirement, have little impact when it comes to counteracting misleading marketing.