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Featured Image Credit: (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Fairfax Media via Getty Images/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
Topics: McDonalds, TV, Documentaries
Brenna Cooper
Topics: McDonalds, TV, Documentaries
Today it was announced that documentary maker Morgan Spurlock has sadly passed away from cancer, with people remembering his infamous documentary Super Size Me.
The documentary - which aired in 2003 - looked at the impact of fast food on your body, seeing Spurlock embark on a challenge to eat the McDonald's three times a day for a month.
And he experienced some truly awful side effects in the name of science.
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Watch the trailer for the documentary below:
At the time Spurlock was a healthy 32-year-old, but that was about to change.
Over the following 30 days Spurlock consumed 5,000 calories a day - twice as many as recommended as part of a balanced diet - as he dined at McDonald's, which led to a rapid decline in his health.
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The deterioration of his body was so damaging that doctors urged the filmmaker to cut his challenge short after two weeks, however Spurlock persisted, determined to see his goal through until the end.
By the end of the month, Spurlock had gained a whopping 24.5lbs (11.1kg), with his body mass increasing by 13 percent.
However the weight gain was the least of Spurlock's worries, with his risk of heart disease doubling and his cholesterol going from 168 to 230 mg/dl.
He also experienced near liver failure due to fat deposits from eating so much of the fast food.
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The side effects didn't end there either, with Spurlock also experiencing chest pains, depression, exhaustion, mood swings, and a diminished sex drive.
Quite the advertisement for a healthy diet.
However his work on Super Size Me wasn't in vain, with the documentary going on to be nominated for an Oscar.
Following Super Size Me, Spurlock went on to create further documentaries under his production company Warrior Poets. He would later revisit the world of fast food in Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! in 2017.
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That same year, Spurlock published an open letter admitting to sexual misconduct, later resigning from his company Warrior Poets.
Earlier today it was announced that Spurlock had passed away aged 53 on Thursday (23 May) after being diagnosed with cancer.
Spurlock's brother Craig confirmed the news with a statement to ABC News where he called his brother 'a true creative genius'.
"It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan," he said.
"Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity. The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.”