Health Department Releases Graphic Anti-Sugar PSA (VIDEO)

At first, it seems like a run of the mill PSA about the dangers of sugary drinks.

There's an overweight gentleman, enjoying a soda in the morning, a sweet tea for lunch, an enormous iced coffee before dinner, etc.

But about halfway through the latest New York City Health Department ad, viewers are treated to a horrifying picture of blackened, diabetic toes.

Gothamist proclaims, "after that sobering image of disgusting diabetic toes, we could really go for a Jack & Coke."

In a statement, the Health Department said the image is designed to shock and frighten people into changing their dietary habits.

"Too many sugar-sweetened drinks are fueling the obesity epidemic," NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said. "Obesity and the serious health consequences that result are making hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers sick or disabled. This new campaign shows how easy it is to drink a staggering amount of sugar in one day without realizing it."

In New York City alone, diabetes results in 22,000 hospitalizations, 2,800 amputations and close to 1,700 deaths every year, the statement said.

The Health Department courted controversy earlier this month when it released an AIDS awareness ad that included a graphic image of anal cancer.

TOO MUCH?