He Developed Yellowish Nodules On His Hands After Spending Years On The Carnivore Diet
After spending years on a “carnivore diet,” a man from Tampa, Florida, developed yellowish nodules on his hands, elbows, and feet.
The man, who is in his 40s, went to Tampa General Hospital three weeks after the strange symptoms appeared. It turned out he was eating so much fatty food that cholesterol had begun to seep out of his skin.
According to a new case report, the patient had started on this so-called carnivore diet about eight months before the appearance of the nodules.
The carnivore diet is based on eating large amounts of animal fats. It eliminates carbohydrates entirely, relying on proteins and fats for energy instead.
People on the carnivore diet typically consume foods such as meat, organ meat, bone marrow, fish, eggs, full-fat dairy, and animal fats like lard.
The patient in this case reported eating six to nine pounds of butter, cheese, and other fatty foods every day since the start of his diet. He even added extra fat to the hamburgers he consumed daily.
He told the doctors that this diet had caused him to lose weight. He had also been experiencing “increased energy and improved mental clarity.” Blood tests showed that his cholesterol was approximately four times the normal level.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a normal cholesterol level is less than 200 mg/dL. Anything above 240 mg/dL is considered to be “high cholesterol.”
Ultimately, the patient was diagnosed with xanthelasma, a condition that causes yellowish, fatty deposits of cholesterol to build up underneath the skin in various parts of the body. But in his situation, the accumulation was so great that some of the cholesterol was oozing through his skin.
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The deposits themselves are generally harmless, but the resulting high cholesterol can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, a condition in which cholesterol and fatty acids accumulate on the walls of arteries. The buildup can limit blood flow to the heart and potentially cause a heart attack or stroke.
Furthermore, high cholesterol can weaken arterial walls, increasing the risk of an aneurysm. If an aneurysm bursts, it can be life-threatening due to internal bleeding.
The doctors advised the Florida man to reduce his fat intake. However, they noted that doing so would not get rid of the nodules. They needed to be removed through surgical excision or by burning them with liquid nitrogen.
Finally, they warned the patient that such high levels of cholesterol could lead to many other health issues, including cardiovascular disease, a significantly increased risk of stroke, and possibly liver problems in the future.
“This case highlights the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications,” wrote the doctors.
The case study was published in JAMA Cardiology.
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