Man eats pounds of cheese on ‘carnivore diet.’ Then odd yellow lines appear on hands
The era of weight loss drugs hasn’t slowed down some of the more traditional diet fads that are popular online.
Products that follow “keto” or boast high protein content are available in most grocery stores, and online personalities and Tiktok doctors plug the best ways to cut out certain foods, or try to sell dietary supplements that will trick the body into losing weight.
One of these fads is the “carnivore diet,” a variant of keto where you only eat animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs. The diet requires cutting out all fruits and vegetables, as well as other sources of fiber and carbohydrates.
The diet is promoted as a way to help combat heart disease and promote weight loss, but it can also have extreme negative consequences.
One man took it too far, and he ended up at the doctor with mysterious yellow lines and bumps on his body.
The man in his 40s, who was not identified, had been on the carnivore diet for 8 months when he started to notice the discoloration on the palms of his hands, his elbows and the soles of his feet, according to a medical case report published Jan. 22 in the peer-reviewed journal Cardiovascular Images from the American Medical Association.
“His dietary habits included a high intake of fats, consisting of 6 to 9 (pounds) of cheese, sticks of butter, and additional fat incorporated into his daily hamburgers,” doctors said.
At first, he noticed weight loss and an increase in his energy level, according to the report, as well as overall mental clarity.
But then the yellow marks appeared and persisted for 3 weeks before the man sought medical attention.
The nodules were asymptomatic, meaning they weren’t itchy or painful, but they were noticeable and weren’t fading, according to the report.
When doctors took a closer look, they identified the lines and bumps as xanthelasma, yellow growths that normally appear around someone’s eyes or around the nose.
Xanthelasmas are cholesterol build-ups that coagulate under the skin, and can be indicative of high cholesterol, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The bumps won’t go away on their own, and many doctors turn to cryotherapy to remove the build-up. Doctors will also recommend switching to a low-fat diet or to take statin, a drug for high cholesterol.
In the short-term, the man is likely to not see negative effects from the xanthelasmas, but they are indicative to some of the serious complications from long-term use of the carnivore diet.
High protein uptake can lead to impaired kidney function, high cholesterol can cause kidney stones, gout and osteoporosis, and long-term commitment to the diet can even increase your risk of heart disease, the exact opposite of what the diet claims to treat, according to Harvard Medical School.
Also, processed meats, like bacon and breakfast sausage, have high amounts of sodium and some meats have been linked to higher rates of certain kinds of cancers, Healthline reports.
Shawn Baker, the American orthopedic doctor best known for promoting the carnivore diet, had his medical license revoked in 2017, and then later reinstated with the caveat that he must be directly supervised in order to practice medicine, the outlet reported.
The risks haven’t stopped fitness influencers and self-proclaimed dietitians from raving about the diet online, but as is the case with most things, having a meat-heavy diet can be safe when done in moderation and in conjunction with other vital nutrients and minerals.
The medical team includes Konstantinos Marmagkiolis, Jaime Caballero and Cezar Iliescu.
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Man eats pounds of cheese on ‘carnivore diet.’ Then odd yellow lines appear on hands."
