A Florida man in his mid-40s followed the trending carnivore diet and ended up in the hospital with ooze-producing yellowish nodules on his palms, elbows, and soles of his feet. The patient adopted the high-on-meat-and-dairy diet for about 8 months before seeking medical help. His case was published in the journal JAMA Cardiology. The patient's dietary habits included 6 to 9 lb (2.7-4 kg) of cheese, sticks of butter, and daily consumption of hamburgers. On the positive side, he reported weight loss, increased energy, and improved mental clarity.
While the patient reported some positive results, eventually he developed alarming levels of high cholesterol. He was diagnosed with xanthelasma, a condition in which cholesterol deposits build up under the skin. While the nodules are usually painless, they can be a sign of high cholesterol, as seen in this case. According to multiple studies, having high cholesterol level is strongly associated with coronary heart disease.
What Is The Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet is a restrictive diet that involves consuming only animal byproducts such as meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, fish and some dairy products. You need to exclude all vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts. Rest you can consume water.
This diet, which promises weight loss benefits and improved energy, has recently gained a lot of popularity through social media influencers who claim this diet has improved their overall health.
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In this case, following the carnivore diet, the patient's cholesterol level exceeded 1000 mg/dL, significantly higher than his baseline level of 210 to 300 mg/dL. Experts note that this case "highlights the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications."