Morgan Spurlock's 'liver turned into pate' after consuming McDonald's for a month

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Morgan Spurlock—the guy behind the 2004 fast food documentary 'Super Size Me'—passed away at the age of 53 from cancer, which brought his health experiment back into sharp focus.

Although there is no proof that his amusement from 20 years ago is related to his death, his experiment, which had Spurlock eating solely McDonald's food for a month, had a significant negative impact on his health.

Spurlock's family announced on Friday, May 24, that he died in Upstate New York on Thursday due to complications arising from his cancer.

Spurlock's brother, Craig Spurlock, remarked: "It was a sad day, as we said goodbye to my brother Morgan. 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."

Morgan Spurlock's physique showed horrifying results after consuming McDonald's for a month

In the 2003 television documentary 'Super Size Me,' which examined the effects of fast food on the human body, Spurlock undertook a challenge to consume McDonald's three times a day for a month.

And for the sake of science, he suffered some extremely awful side effects. After 30 days, Spurlock's body fat and cholesterol skyrocketed, and he was deemed medically obese.

The most concerning outcome, though, was that his liver had been so damaged in a matter of weeks that it had turned "into pate," as his doctor called it, and he appeared to be an "alcoholic after a binge," per Daily Mail.

Spurlock dined at McDonald's for the next 30 days, consuming 5,000 calories a day—twice as many as is advised as part of a balanced diet—which caused his health to rapidly deteriorate.

After two weeks, Spurlock's body began to deteriorate to such an extent that doctors advised the director to abandon his challenge; but, Spurlock continued, determined to see his purpose through to the very end.

Spurlock weighed 185 pounds at the beginning of the experiment, which is a healthy body mass index (BMI) of 23.2. He began suffering from bad health repercussions after just a few days of eating primarily fast food.

Spurlock developed a staggering 24.5 pounds (11.1 kg) by the end of the month, boosting his body mass by 13 percent. Moreover, his risk of heart disease doubled and his cholesterol increased from 168 to 230 mg/dl, per LADbible.

He also nearly died of liver failure as a result of fat deposits from consuming so much fast food. Spurlock reportedly experienced mood shifts, despair, fatigue, chest pains, and a decreased libido drive as other side effects.

He had excessive vomiting just one day after the experiment began and soon began to experience strange pulsations in his stomach.

When Spurlock's doctor said that his liver was "turning to pate" and that it was getting mushy, he meant that the meal was altering the way Spurlock's liver worked to the point that it was unable to generate vital proteins, process nutrients, or detoxify the blood.

Spurlock's production firm, Warrior Poets, produced several films after 'Super Size Me.' Later in 2017, he would return to the fast food industry with 'Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!'

Spurlock's health turnaround was so dramatic that it changed the way many Americans thought about fast food and forced McDonald's to discontinue their supersized menu items.

However, it was discovered years later that Spurlock had battled alcoholism throughout filming, which might have had an impact on the outcome.

Morgan Spurlock suffered from alcoholism

Spurlock omitted to disclose his alcoholism, but the doctor who examined him for the experiment in the documentary claimed that the fast food was "pickling his liver."

In 2017, Spurlock acknowledged abusing alcohol, which might have contributed to his liver problems and poor mental state.

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker initially didn't reveal the startling fact that he had "consistently been drinking since the age of 13." "I haven't been sober for more than a week in 30 years," he revealed.

Many began to wonder if this was the reason his liver in the 2004 documentary resembled that of an alcoholic and if the tremors he experienced were signs of alcohol withdrawal.