A Florida man in his 40s, who embarked on a ‘carnivore diet’ for eight months, claims to have seen health improvements despite experiencing severe side effects.
The man ended up in a Tampa hospital when parts of his palms, elbows, and the soles of his feet turned yellow.
During discussions with medical professionals, he disclosed that his diet exclusively consisted of large quantities of butter, six to nine pounds of cheese, and hamburgers each day.
His case, documented in JAMA Cardiology this week, noted: “A man in his 40s presented with a 3-week history of asymptomatic yellowish nodules on his palms, soles, and elbows. The patient adopted a carnivore diet approximately 8 months before presentation.”
“His dietary habits included a high intake of fats, consisting of 6 to 9 lb of cheese, sticks of butter, and additional fat incorporated into his daily hamburgers. He reported weight loss, increased energy, and improved mental clarity.”
Despite losing weight, the man was perplexed by the appearance of yellow deposits on his skin, which lasted a month before he sought medical advice.
The research stated: “Physical examination revealed multiple painless yellowish nodules on his palms and elbows. The patient’s cholesterol level exceeded 1000 mg/dL (to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259), significantly higher than his baseline of level of 210 to 300 mg/dL. A diagnosis of xanthelasma was made.”
Healthline describes xanthelasma as a condition where ‘soft, yellowish, fatty deposits form under your skin’. While not dangerous, it can sometimes signal potential heart disease.
The study did not elaborate on the man’s subsequent health status but highlighted the critical need to ‘manage hypercholesterolemia to avoid complications’.
Angel, a PhD pharmacy student and fitness coach, has previously cautioned against the long-term negative effects of such a diet.
“You can believe some random influencer, we can believe the entire science community,” Angel said.
“Carnivore diet might put you in a calorie deficit, so you might lose weight. Cool. [But] you could also just be in a regular calorie deficit, flexible dieting, eating chocolate, eating pasta and still having some balance there.”
She added: “Over the long term, you might have a low fibre intake that will affect your gut. That is not good for you.
“You’ll also get less vitamins and minerals, for example vitamin C. So it might be well and good that you’re getting lots of iron from these meats, but if you don’t have any vitamin C to help you with absorption, you’re actually not going to be getting the benefits you think you are.”