Warning: a Big Mac may take 3 days to digest
23 Sep 2015
McDonald's iconic Big Mac is something that we're all familiar with. But what it does to our bodies after we've eaten one is something we rarely think about.
The health experts behind the Fast Food Menu Price website have claimed the burger will ignite your brain's reward system the same way as a drug like cocaine. And the levels of sodium and sugar in the 500-calorie burger are actually doing your body plenty of harm.
And that's before you've swigged down a Diet Coke to go with it.
The website has unveiled a timeline infographic explaining exactly what process your body goes through one hour after eating one of the specials from the Golden Arches.
It's based on a similar graphic from The Renegade Pharmacist, a blog run by pharmacist Niraj Naik, which originally posted a seven-step breakdown of Coca-Cola's supposed health effects.
The website says that while your brain is spiking with pleasure after 10 minutes, in another 10 minutes you'll be craving another thanks to the high levels of fructose corn syrup.
And 10 minutes after that, the 970 milligrams of sodium (salt) inside the burger will be quickly dehydrating you.
"With symptoms that closely mimic those of hunger, it's easy for dehydration to trick you into thinking you need to go back for a new round," the infographic says.
But the sodium overdose causes your heart to work faster to pump blood around your veins - causing higher blood pressure and the danger of heart disease or a stroke.
After 40 minutes, you're still craving more because your insulin response can "bring down your glucose levels making you want to eat more."
And after the full hour, you're still not even close to digesting the Big Mac.
"After consuming a Big Mac, it can take more than three days to fully digest," warns the infographic.
