Man, 70, who has eaten a record 34,000 McDonald's Big Macs, says, 'People thought I'd be dead by now'

• Don Gorske, 70, extends his Guinness World Record for most McDonald's Big Macs eaten to over 34,000.
• He used to consume nine Big Macs daily but has cut it down to one for lunch and one for dinner.

A US man has extended his record for most McDonald's Big Macs eaten in a lifetime to more than 34,000.

Don Gorske, 70, first gained the Guinness World Records title in 1999 and has now extended his record after eating 728 more Big Macs in 2023, according to the record-keeping company.

He used to consume nine Big Macs daily but has now cut it down to two — one for lunch and one for dinner.

In order to maintain his health, he doesn't eat french fries and walks six miles a day.

"Many people thought I'd be dead by now, but instead, I've been a record holder for my 24th year — one of Guinness World Records' longer-running record holders, so that's pretty cool to me," he said.

Gorske said that despite eating the burgers for over 50 years, he still relishes each one.

"People who have watched me eating a Big Mac often comment that I look like I'm eating one for the very first time," he said.

Gorske, a retired prison officer from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, ate his first Big Mac in 1972 and immediately knew how much he liked them.

"In that moment, I said: 'I'm going to probably eat these for the rest of my life.' I threw the cartons in the back seat and started counting them from day one," he said.

He has kept the receipts and containers of every burger he has eaten.

After he gained media attention for his burger consumption, inmates at the prison he worked at would mock him with "relentless" verbal abuse, he said.

However, his fellow prison guards supported his love for McDonald's and would sneak in Big Macs for him when he worked double shifts.

He used to go to the fast food chain every day, but since retiring he buys Big Macs twice a week in batches, eating a fresh one at the restaurant and then taking the rest home to microwave when hungry.

'Fast food can significantly increase the risk of chronic health conditions'

Gorske said that he's a creature of habit and doesn't eat much other than Big Macs, aside from a small evening snack like ice cream, a fruit bar, or potato chips.

A Big Mac, with two beef patties and three pieces of bread, contains 590 calories.

Health experts have warned against the risks of eating too much fast food.

"Consuming a diet that heavily relies on fast food such as McDonald's can significantly increase the risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes due to the high levels of saturated and trans fats, sodium added sugars and additives found in these foods," nutritionist Beata Rydyger previously told Healthline.

A documentary, "Super Size Me," starring Morgan Spurlock, an independent filmmaker, followed him as he only ate Macdonald's food for a month. The 2004 film chronicled the drastic effects the diet inflicted on his physical and psychological health because of its poor nutrition.