It was 20 years ago that the groundbreaking documentary, Super Size Me hit our screens shining a grim light on the world’s obsession with McDonald’s.
Director, Morgan Spurlock sacrificed his body for the social experiment that saw him only eat food from the fast food chain for 30-days. In his mission to explore the harmful effects of fast food, Morgan had to “go large” whenever he was given the option to “super size” his meal.
The results were shocking and saw him declared medically obese after gaining 25lbs. He claimed he was left suffering from depression as well and sexual dysfunction.
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Doctors described his liver as “turning to pate” comparing it to an “alcoholic’s after a binge.”
(Image: YoutTube)
The 2004 hit film grossed $22m at the Box Office and earned Spurlock an Oscar nomination as well as critical acclaim. It also saw the junk food giant scrap its “super-size” option which had been available at the time.
But it wasn’t until 2017 that Spurlock made the shocking admission that he’d struggled with alcoholism, and had “consistently been drinking since the age of 13.”
“I haven’t been sober for more than a week in 30 years,” he said.
(Image: Getty Images for DIFF)
It led many to question whether this was the real reason his liver was the way it was, and whether the shakes he suffered in the movie were symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
His confession also contradicted what he said in Super Size Me.
When the doctor asked at the outset: “Any alcohol use?,” Spurlock replied: “Now? None,” the Mail reports.
(Image: Channel 4)
Regardless of his troubles, Spurlock’s experiment revealed the frightening deterioration in physical and mental wellbeing that can come about as a result of eating junk food.
He reported having low mood and feeling hungry again an hour after eating.
Fast food contains few nutrients and instead sky high amounts of sodium and sugar. In fact the chain’s largest size Coke, which Spurlock drank often, contained 48 spoonfulls.
(Image: YoutTube)
Spurlock died earlier this year at the age of 53. His family said he succumbed to “complications” of cancer, but did not reveal which type he had or how long he’d been battling it.
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