There’s Science Behind Supersize Me

In “Supersize Me”, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock subjects himself to a diet of nothing but food from McDonald's for 30 days, with dramatic results. He gains a lot of weight, his cholesterol level skyrockets, his liver begins to show signs of injury, and he experiences a range of symptoms, including headaches, mood swings, symptoms of addiction, and depressed libido. It was a bit of a gimmick, even if he was under medical supervision.

However, someone has recently published a study in the Lancet (free registration required to look at the abstract), that has systematically evaluated the “Supersize Me” phenomena:

Mark A Pereira, Alex I Kartashov, Cara B Ebbeling, Linda Van Horn, Martha L Slattery, David R Jacobs Jr, David S Ludwig. 2005. Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the CARDIA study): 15-year prospective analysis. Lancet. 365(9453): 36-42.

The key findings from the abstract are that fast food could increase risk for obesity and diabetes through 1) excessive portion size with single large meals often approaching or exceeding individual daily energy requirement; 2) palatability that emphasizes primordial taste preferences for sugar, salt and fat; and 3) high glycemic load. The high glycemic load and trans-fatty acid content also might enhance the risk of diabetes through mechanisms unrelated to energy balance. I’m looking forward to reading the paper.

Why am I writing about this topic? Among other things, obesity is an environmental health problem.