Scripts.com Super Size Me By Morgan Spurlock Page 1/76 Everything's bigger in America, we've got the biggest cars, the biggest houses, the biggest companies, the biggest food, and, finally, the biggest people. America has now become the fattest nation in the world. Congratulations. Nearly 100 million Americans are today either overweight or obese. That's more than 60% of all U.S. adults. Since 1980, the total number of overweight and obese Americans has doubled, with twice as many overweight children and three times as many overweight adolescents. The fattest state in America? Mississippi -- where one in four people are obese. I grew up in west Virginia, currently the third-fattest state in America. When I was growing up, my mother cooked dinner every single day. Almost all my memories of her are in the kitchen. And we never ate out, only on those few, rare special occasions. Today, families do it all the time, and they're paying for it -- not only with their wallets, but with their waistlines. Obesity is now second only to smoking as a major cause of preventable death in America, Page 2/76 with more than 400,000 deaths per year associated with related illnesses. In 2002, a few Americans got fed up with being overweight and did what we do best. They sued the bastards. taking aim at the fast-food companies and blaming them for their obesity and illnesses, a lawsuit was filed in New York on behalf of two teenage girls, one who was 14 years old, 4'10", and 170 pounds, the other, 19 years old, 5'6", and 270 pounds. The unthinkable had suddenly become reality. People were suing the golden arches for selling them food that most of us know isn't good for you to begin with yet each day, one in four Americans visits a fast-food restaurant. And this hunger for fast food isn't just in America. it's happening on a global basis. McDonalds alone operates more than 30,000 joints in over 100 countries on 6 continents and feeds more than 46 million people worldwide every day. That's more than the entire population of Spain. In the United States alone, McDonalds accounts for 43 % of the total fast-food market. They're everywhere -- Wal-Mart's, airports, rest stops, Page 3/76 gas stations, train stations, shopping malls, department stores, amusement parts, even hospitals. That's right -- hospitals. At least you're close when the coronary kicks in. Lawyers for McDonald's called the suits "frivolous", stating that the dangers of its food are universally known and that these kids can't show that their weight problems and health woes were caused solely by their McDiets. The judge states, however, that if lawyers for the teens can show that McDonald's intends for people to eat its food for every meal of every day and that doing so would be unreasonably dangerous, they may be able to state a claim. Are the food companies solely to blame for this epidemic? Where does personal responsibility stop and corporate responsibility begin? Is fast food really that bad for you? I mean, what would happen if I ate nothing but McDonald's for 30 days straight? Would I suddenly be on the fast track to becoming an obese American? Would it be unreasonably dangerous? Let's find out. Im ready. Super-size me. Page 4/76 I knew if I was going to do this, I would need some serious medical supervision, so I enlisted the help of not one, but three doctors - a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, and a general practitioner. You're feeling quite well today, yes? In general, any fatigue or weight loss, weight gain, any change in your vision? No fever, no earache, no cough no shortness of breath, no chest pain... ...nausea, vomiting, heartburn? Dr. Isaacs: for illness? Do you take any medications of any sort? Ive just been taking vitamins. Any food allergies or anything? No. There's no heart disease or diabetes or blood pressure or cancer in the immediate family? My grandfather's had a couple open-heart surgeries. One out of four grandparents is dead. Yeah. Good genes. That's the important thing. - Any alcohol use? - Now? None. You don't smoke? Page 5/76 I used to, but I don't. Any drug use at all? Not for a long time. - Are you sexually active at present? - Yes. - A girlfriend? - Yes. Is there anything we didn't cover? Is there anything else you need to tell me? I don't think so. "Patient is embarking on a one-month McDonald's binge." Very good. You might have something called white coats. 140 over about 95. 130 over 105. 120 over 80. That's what it is? The other guys are stressing me out. You're much more relaxed. I tend to do that to my patients. Swallow, please. Your reflexes are perfect. Good. Back out. Normal. Say "ah." Everything looks pretty normal here. Good. We'll skip checking for hernias. We're gonna do a rectal exam. I like to be more thorough than that. And I like doctors to be thorough. You're gonna go downstairs and get your bloods drawn. Page 6/76 So, the reason we have you fasting is the true cholesterol and glucose number is fasting. So, if you had, like, a bacon, egg, and cheese your cholesterol would be way high, or if you had orange juice, your glucose would be high. Three down. Your blood tests are excellent. Your starting off with a total cholesterol of 168 which is less than 200, which is really superb your blood level's fine. Your iron level is good as well. you have no evidence of diabetes. Your fasting blood sugar is very low. the other thing that we looked at were all your electrolytes in terms of salts in your blood, your kidney function, your liver function. They were all perfect. Your triglycerides, which is your building blocks of fat -- basically, what you acquire from eating fat -- is 43, which is low, which is good. Your general health, you know...is outstanding. Your urinalysis is great. So, you're starting off terrific. I think the worst-case scenario Page 7/76 is that you increase your triglycerides and your cholesterol level, and if you have any he art disease in the family -- underlying heart disease -- you're putting your heart at risk. I expect to see an increase in your triglycerides, because that can be affected. You're at 87 now, and I think that will change. I think that's the only thing that will change. Out of everything? Out of everything. There might be some minor variations, but the body is extremely adaptable, and the kidneys will handle any extra salt you're taking in, and your liver will be able to metabolize additional fats. As far as you gaining weight, you probably will. As far as your cholesterol going up, it probably will. As far as you feeling miserable, may be. I don't know. Unless you start cheating and just order the salads. I also went to a fancy new York wellness center to meet a registered dietician who would help track my progress. Okay, let's start with getting your height and weight. Im 6'2". I weight about 185. Page 8/76 For your height, this is a healthy weight. I can tell you that right now. Your BMI, which is the body mass index, is within normal limits, which means you're not obese. You're actually at the correct weight. So, I should keep a checklist of the things that I eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Your calorie needs are gonna be averaging about 2,500 calories a day. As far as fat goes, for 2,500 calories, you're gonna want about 80 grams of total fat in a day. The saturated fat, which is a component of total fat, you want to have less than 25 grams a day. Don't try to overindulge too much. Good luck, Morgan. Hi, there. I'm Eric Rowley, our exercise physiologist. Great. Rowley: the official weigh-in... 1851/2. We'll go through the cardiovascular assessment, and then I'll be able to calculate how much oxygen your muscles can utilize, and that's also an indicator of what type of condition your cardiovascular system is in. All right, good work. Page 9/76 Im gonna use these skinfold calipers to estimate your body density. You're 11% body fat. that's great. We're gonna measure your flexibility of your hamstrings, your hips, and your lower back. Good, good. very nice. 38 centimeters was your best. There's a basic old-school test for muscular strength and endurance. 36. Good job. You're above average above average fitness for your age group, definitely, I'd say you're at a good spot right now. More than 60% of Americans get no form of exercise, so for the next 30 days, neither will I. But I'll still have to walk. How much does the average American walk a day? We have these pedometers that we put on people, step counters. You could very roughly estimate at about 2,000 steps, because 2,000 would make a mile. And we know that people that work in office settings, who drive a car to and from work, who take an elevator up to that office, Page 10/76 may take as little as 2,500 or 3,000 steps in their entire day.