Do you know the “carnivore” diet? This diet consists of consuming mainly meat, as the name suggests, but also butter and cheese. A diet that led an American forty-year-old straight to the hospital, as reported by experts from the cardiology departments of Florida and Texas.
Yellowish nodules on the hands, feet and elbows
This man, living in Florida, saw yellowish nodules appear on his palms, elbows and soles of his feet. This observation pushed him, after three weeks, to go to the hospital. It was there that he explained to the doctors that for around eight months, he had changed his diet, opting for an almost exclusive consumption of butter, cheese and meat.
Foods that they ate in significant quantities, since he estimated that he ate 6 to 9 pounds of cheese (or between 2.7 and 4 kg), sticks of butter and fat, incorporated into his daily hamburgers.
Cholesterol levels five times higher than normal
Under the care of doctors, the patient had a cholesterol level exceeding 1000 mg/dL, well above normal levels (210 to 300 mg/dL). Cardiologists diagnosed the man with xanthelasma, a disease caused by high levels of cholesterol (or other types of fats) in the blood.
This excess lipids somehow “ooze” from the blood vessels, causing the visible lipid deposits on his body. Usually, they are observed around the eye: xanthelasma palpebrarum. Here they appeared elsewhere, on this man’s body.
This type of diet should be avoided
Surprising fact, however: the man declared that his health had improved significantly since the start of his diet. He explained that he lost weight, but also felt improvements in his energy level and his cognitive abilities.
However, the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) do not recommend adopting this type of diet, increasingly advocated by certain influencers, in the United States. On the contrary, a varied and balanced diet, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins and dairy products, is recommended.