Fast food or alcohol? The possible causes behind the cancer that caused the death of the creator of “Super size me”

Film director Morgan Spurlock He died this Friday at the age of 53 as a result of a cancer. Known for his provocative films, Spurlock rose to fame in 2004 with the documentary Super Size Me, in which he himself starred and in which he underwent a 30-day regime eating all his daily meals at the fast food chain McDonald’s, with ‘extra large’ portions of French fries and sugary soft drinks included. Although his family has reported the filmmaker’s death, the type of cancer he suffered from has not been revealed.

When it was launched Super size me, it seemed that McDonald’s was not going to survive the negative image with which the documentary had colored the brand. The film grossed nearly $30 million, a spectacular figure for an independent documentary, and was even nominated for an Oscar. None of this is surprising to those who have seen it: the film concludes, after a month, with a deteriorating Spurlock, exhibiting a pronounced decline in numerous health indicators. As he himself reported in the documentary, when filming ended he had become addicted to fast food. He had headaches when he went without it for a long time, his heart and liver had suffered significant damage, he was depressed and his sex life was “non-existent.”

But the story that Spurlock hid behind this experiment is much more complex than what these data reflect at first glance. Years after the documentary, the filmmaker acknowledged that he had had alcohol problems during all his life. «I have been drinking constantly since I was 13 years old. “I haven’t been sober for more than a week in 30 years,” Spurlock confessed.

This called into question some of the film’s conclusions. It was learned that much of the damage to his organs at the end of the documentary had been caused throughout his years of alcoholism and it was not a direct consequence of the feeding that he carried in those months. In fact, there are several documented cases of people trying to replicate the experiment of Super size me and in no case was it possible to obtain the same results as those presented in the film.

Super size me, a controversial experiment

The premise of the documentary is simple and direct. Spurlock, an apparently healthy and young man, will dedicate himself to eating all his daily meals at McDonald’s for a month. Furthermore, imitating the sedentary lifestyle typical of the average American of the time, he will reduce his movement to less than 5,000 steps a day, which he believes is a dramatic reduction from his active lifestyle as a resident of New York, one of the most walkable cities in the world. country.

After 30 days, he was declared clinically obese and their levels of cholesterol and body fat they were shot. Added to this was the fact that, according to the documentary, in a matter of weeks his liver had been damaged until it took on the appearance of an alcoholic after a binge. In other words, the film suggests in no uncertain terms that these products could cause depressionhigh cholesterol, decreased libido and liver damage.

Although the information about his liver problems was not completely honest, given that Spurlock was, in fact, an alcoholic, the documentary contributed to calling into question the quality of the food offered by fast food chains. Today, we have scientific evidence that shows that consumption is associated with an increased risk of suffering from up to nine different types of cancer. In fact, products based on processed meat, such as hamburgers and sausages, have been classified by the WHO as carcinogenic and it is recommended to limit their consumption.

Junk food or alcohol

Although the cause of Spurlock’s cancer is unknown, what is clear is that both the consumption of ultra-processed such as alcoholif they become chronic behaviors, carry a marked increase in the risk of cancer, especially in young or middle-aged people.

«Just one glass of alcohol a day has a significant impact on the risk of cancer. We cannot forget that ethanol, which is the main component of alcoholic beverages, is mutagenic. Produces mutations in the genome. In addition to generating addiction, being neurotoxic and hepatotoxic, it directly attacks our genome, like tobacco. “Alcohol is carcinogenic and this is recognized by the World Health Organization,” the molecular biologist emphasizes in this sense. Emilia Gómez Pardo, project director of the Genoma España foundation.

Likewise, health authorities have long warned about the risks posed by the consumption of transformed meats, that is, those preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or by adding chemical preservatives. «To reduce the risk of cancer, given that the relationship between the risk of colorectal cancer and the consumption of even small quantities of processed meat is certain, and that it does not present greater nutritional advantages than red meat, it is recommended to avoid it as much as possible. processed meat,” recommends European Code Against Cancer.

It is also advisable to limit red meat (beef, pork, sheep or goat) to a maximum of 500 grams of cooked meat per week, which is equivalent to approximately 700 grams of raw weight. “It is recommended to eat little red meat, particularly processed meat, to prevent colorectal cancer, and to be sparing in the consumption of salt and salty foods or foods with added salt, to prevent stomach cancer,” the document details.

Spurlock’s Legacy

As a result of the documentary and its harsh criticism of the fast and ultra-processed food industry, companies made a series of changes. McDonald’s, which until then offered, at least in the United States, the “Super size” option, that is, the possibility of expanding the portion of fries and soft drinks, stopped providing this possibility to its customers and, at least apparently , reduced his portion sizes. Later, he introduced healthier options on their menu, such as salads as a side dish or fruit for dessert on children’s menus.

However, consumers quickly discovered that this was a simple image wash: the portions were the same sizes, but had changed names. Thus, a small hamburger became considered medium. Something similar happened with other products such as chocolate bars of different brands marketed in the North American country. The large tablets were renamed “Sharing Tablets”, although their size and energy value remained unchanged. In any case, it is considered that the impact of these measures is not as effective as others, such as increasing the price of products such as sugary soft drinks, or including health warnings on their packaging.

The great legacy of the documentary is, in reality, having managed to be a starting point for raising awareness about the risks What ultra-processed food means for health. Spurlock himself took credit for the changes in the population’s perception of ultra-processed food. “I think the movie opened people’s eyes, and at least opened the door to an even broader conversation,” he said in an interview. Furthermore, he assured that, since he submitted to the challenge of Super size mehe did not try this type of food again, except on rare occasions.