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Supersize Me and Morgan Spurlock’s lies

MargaretYakoda
MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,997 Member
edited May 27 in Debate Club
Remember the Movie Supersize Me?

I remember it vividly. I was especially impressed by Spurlock’s apparent healthy diet prior to the 30 day McDonalds stunt diet. And the medical screenings he undertook before, during, and immediately after his 30 day McDonald’s only diet.

For those who haven’t seen it, the premise was that Spurlock, at the time an apparently fit, athletic, 34 year old man made a documentary that followed him for 30 days while he drove around the US consuming nothing but items off the McDonald’s menu. And if, as he ordered his food he was asked “Would you like to supersize that?” he had to say yes.

The entire premise of the documentary was to show what effect a diet of nothing but McDonalds would have on a healthy person.

Except Spurlock lied
At his first doctor visit he was asked about his alcohol intake. He said he was not consuming any alcohol.
The truth was that he was an alcoholic who drank excessively during the entire 30 days of filming.

He was by definition unhealthy at the start of the process. We saw him vomiting in the film. Portrayed as a result of going from vegan food and a healthy lifestyle to eating fast food. But now we know that we can’t make that assumption anymore…

I’m not saying Mickey D’s is the same as health food. Clearly it’s not.

However, McDonald’s doesn’t serve alcohol

I am disappointed that we were lied to in that documentary. And what could have been a great case study of the effects of fast food on an otherwise healthy person is actually an unreliable narrator just showing us what he wanted to show us.


Replies

  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,997 Member
    edited May 27
    AdahPotatah2024 wrote: »
    Are you sure that's not just a rumor spread by fast food industries?!🤣
    I did just see he passed away too early! So sad..

    I don't know, though, what I think about his drinking. If he drank beforehand, wouldn't the results be more skewed if he had stopped? I really see that documentary more as entertainment than valid research. I think it was beneficial just by bringing up how it was a bit sketchy of McDonald's for promoting to supersize everything and it did facilitate more and better research. Maybe, inspired some people to cut down on fast food..and do we even need research to know that eating cheeseburgers everyday is not the healthiest diet?😅

    Yeah. A few of the obituary type articles mentioned it. It’s actually how I learned about it (he also had other issues)
    He apparently was drinking heavily the entire time.

    As for the light the documentary shone on the “do you want to supersize that?” Type of upselling? That’s a mixed bag.
    Absolutely fast food is not healthy by any stretch. And the movie did highlight that. But I suspect it only changed how McDonalds practices upselling.
    According to AP they’re now offering a second Big Mac for 29¢ at some locations, and “bundling” meals.
    https://apnews.com/article/mcdonalds-boycott-earnings-75770857e452fab4032042c492fcc733

    I do think the movie would have been a stronger message if Spurlock hadn’t lied about his health. Particularly since there was a lot of concern about his liver values as the movie progressed, and it was attributed solely to the McDonalds diet.

  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,561 Member
    edited May 27
    I’m a skeptic naturally so I always consider what I am being sold and what the narrator’s POV is.

    That said , I do think his documentaries asked questions to Americans about the quality of their food and food sourcing and excessive calorie intake.

    It’s a shame he lied about being an alcoholic, the deception now leads his work to be scrutinized and even dismissed.

    However- he was an alcoholic before the study began -/ this was his baseline. They did medical work ups before and during the study.

    The addition of supersized meals (even as an alcoholic) every day made him gain 24.5 pounds, his cholesterol raised by 65 points, 15% increase in body fat — in 30 days. His liver work up during the study is obviously now null and void.

    I don’t disagree that his work as a case study is now shaded by his omission of alcohol use.. but I don’t think it eliminates how the doc highlighted industrial food marketing, chemical additives, and questioned the quality of our food.

    I thought Super Size me 2 - which explored ways in which the fast food industry has rebranded itself as healthier — showed that rebranding is more perception than reality.

    Years later…. even though we have all the conversation about his study/documentary.. a large swath of the population is still fat and continue to revel in poor quality fast food.

    So how many people listened anyway? It’s anyone’s guess.

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,786 Member
    SafariGalNYC wrote: »
    I’m a skeptic naturally so I always consider what I am being sold and what the narrator’s POV is.

    That said , I do think his documentaries asked questions to Americans about the quality of their food and food sourcing and excessive calorie intake.

    It’s a shame he lied about being an alcoholic, the deception now leads his work to be scrutinized and even dismissed.

    However- he was an alcoholic before the study began -/ this was his baseline. They did medical work ups before and during the study.

    The addition of supersized meals (even as an alcoholic) every day made him gain 24.5 pounds, his cholesterol raised by 65 points, 15% increase in body fat — in 30 days. His liver work up during the study is obviously now null and void.

    I don’t disagree that his work as a case study is now shaded by his omission of alcohol use.. but I don’t think it eliminates how the doc highlighted industrial food marketing, chemical additives, and questioned the quality of our food.

    I thought Super Size me 2 - which explored ways in which the fast food industry has rebranded itself as healthier — showed that rebranding is more perception than reality.

    Years later…. even though we have all the conversation about his study/documentary.. a large swath of the population is still fat and continue to revel in poor quality fast food.

    So how many people listened anyway? It’s anyone’s guess.

    I think, in the end, it wasn't ever intended to be a scientific experiment. It was a documentary. To get people's attention and make them think. Did it work? Clearly not so much given we still have the same issues we did then. But maybe it made at least some people more aware.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Documentaries don't always give the opposition fair time and scientific proof. The majority of documentaries will always focus on whatever agenda the author is trying to promote.
    One of the ones I thought was fair was "Bigger, stronger, faster" where they explored steroid and PED usage.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • lisakatz2
    lisakatz2 Posts: 568 Member
    I know this is a tangent but has anybody seen the documentary Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead? It's about a morbidly obese guy who goes on a juice fast while he travels America and loses a ton of weight. I wouldn't recommend such a diet but I found the film entertaining to watch.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    How junk food causes cancer - as Morgan Spurlock, maker of Super Size Me, dies from disease aged 53".

    yeah like the only thing in his entire half century of life that could of caused cancer was 1 month of eating Mcdonalds :s

    I know you are not saying that but what a ridiculous claim.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,786 Member
    paperpudding wrote: »
    How junk food causes cancer - as Morgan Spurlock, maker of Super Size Me, dies from disease aged 53".

    yeah like the only thing in his entire half century of life that could of caused cancer was 1 month of eating Mcdonalds :s

    I know you are not saying that but what a ridiculous claim.

    There are ultra processed foods that have been causally linked to cancer. Specifically colon cancer. That being said, no, of course his 1 month McDonald's diet didn't directly cause the cancer. That being said, it makes me laugh any time someone talks about chemicals in food causing cancer, then goes on to down their alcohol of choice.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    edited June 2
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    How junk food causes cancer - as Morgan Spurlock, maker of Super Size Me, dies from disease aged 53".

    yeah like the only thing in his entire half century of life that could of caused cancer was 1 month of eating Mcdonalds :s

    I know you are not saying that but what a ridiculous claim.

    There are ultra processed foods that have been causally linked to cancer. Specifically colon cancer. That being said, no, of course his 1 month McDonald's diet didn't directly cause the cancer. That being said, it makes me laugh any time someone talks about chemicals in food causing cancer, then goes on to down their alcohol of choice.



    yes, there are foods which have been linked in large amounts over time to increase ones risk of certain cancers. (context and dosage and increased risk, not single amount, single cause)

    Not disputing that.

    that is entirely different to click bait titles about how Mcdonalds (for 1 month) caused cancer. in a sample size n = 1 with no other variables considered.

    using alcohol; as a comparable example - yes we know excessive amounts of alcohol over time are linked with liver disease

    That isnt the same as saying drinking wine every evening for a month on a cruise causes liver disease - based on 1 person aged 53 who got liver diseases after doing so, amongst everything else they did and inherited in half century of life
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,997 Member
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    How junk food causes cancer - as Morgan Spurlock, maker of Super Size Me, dies from disease aged 53".

    yeah like the only thing in his entire half century of life that could of caused cancer was 1 month of eating Mcdonalds :s

    I know you are not saying that but what a ridiculous claim.

    There are ultra processed foods that have been causally linked to cancer. Specifically colon cancer. That being said, no, of course his 1 month McDonald's diet didn't directly cause the cancer. That being said, it makes me laugh any time someone talks about chemicals in food causing cancer, then goes on to down their alcohol of choice.

    89niww495wk3.jpeg

    Also, mentioning “chemicals” and “toxins” without any context about what the person is actually talking about? Those are just buzzwords that usually come with a huge amount of pseudoscience.
  • jeri30
    jeri30 Posts: 88 Member
    Honestly, the "documentary" is flawed from the start. He's eating there three times a day and making himself eat every bite of food, even when he's full. He's just rotating his meals, not even trying to balance anything. He's not exercising, iirc.

    Here's a more balanced take. I do recommend reading the entire article.

    From the article: https://www.cityscenecolumbus.com/food-plus-drink/biology-teacher’s-fast-food-experiment-taught-him-the-value-/

    "The diet came about when Cisna was searching for a class experiment for his sophomore biology students at Colo-NESCO. After meeting an owner of several McDonald’s franchises, an idea came to him. What if he tried to get healthy by eating nothing but McDonald’s?

    As Cisna and his students set to work in September 2013, they used McDonald’s online menu builder to track 15 different nutrients and gave the teacher a 2,000 calorie diet. They didn’t stick to salads, either. His students were able to assemble 56 different meal plans.

    The students decided that it was more important to meet guidelines for daily nutritional value allowances than caloric intake. A meal plan that included a 600-calorie Bacon & Cheese Quarter Pounder, for example, had a total caloric value of 1,530.

    Cisna also measured his bloodwork at different points during the experiment. His beginning test exhibited numbers that put him at risk for heart disease. His cholesterol and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) levels were high, and his triglycerides number was borderline high.

    He was so surprised about his results 45 days into his trial that he called the lab to make sure the blood was his. His cholesterol and triglycerides were in the desirable range, LDL was near ideal, and glucose, while a little higher than it was before the experiment, was still in the desirable range.

    “It was incredible,” he says."

    Here's a video update:

    https://youtu.be/RKmeSqm9H90?si=ybnaofFNUewcH4R1

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