Experts warn that the popular carnivore diet could lead to heart disease, ancient sailor’s disease, scurvy, and even colorectal cancer.
With nearly 100 million videos shared, the controversial diet has gained popularity on TikTok.
It consists of eating only meat, fish and animal products such as butter and eggs, eliminating other food groups such as fruits, vegetables and seeds.
Jane Clarke, a UK-based bowel nurse, warned that a diet restricted to meat products removes vital nutrients such as vitamin C and fibre, while increasing harmful cholesterol.
Recent studies have shown that a lack of fiber could be responsible for the increase in colorectal cancer cases in young people, as the nutrient, found in carbohydrates, prevents nasty toxins from infecting the digestive tract.
ConfidenceClub continence nurse Jane Clarke warned that the popular carnivore diet could increase the risk of heart disease, bowel cancer and scurvy.
Brian Johnson, better known as the Liver King, has gained a following thanks to his raw carnivorous diet, composed mainly of meat.
“Meat, eggs and butter contain lots of essential vitamins, that’s true,” Ms Clarke said. “However, what these meat influencers are leaving out are all the things your body needs that this restrictive diet doesn’t contain.”
Unlike other extreme diets like keto, which is low in carbohydrates, the carnivore diet aims to eliminate carbohydrates completely.
It is based on the belief that our ancestors, thousands of years ago, lived solely on meat, and its proponents claim that foods rich in carbohydrates and sugar, including certain fruits such as apples and bananas, are responsible for high rates of chronic diseases.
Carbohydrates get a bad rap, as some refined versions like white bread don’t keep us full for long.
However, they are the body’s main source of energy.
The digestive system breaks down the sugars in carbohydrates and converts them into glucose, also known as blood sugar.
The body releases insulin, which sends glucose to cells for energy.
Not eating enough carbohydrates can cause sluggishness and lack of energy due to chronic low blood sugar, also called hypoglycemia.
What’s more, whole-grain carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and whole-wheat bread, are the main source of fiber in the American diet.
Ms Clarke warns that a carnivore diet also eliminates fibre, which is necessary to maintain healthy digestion and regular bowel movements.
“A diet so lacking in fiber will eventually result in fiber deficiency, which is often characterized by severe constipation,” he said.
“In the long term, this can increase the risk of colorectal cancer, as well as being extremely uncomfortable.”
Rising rates of colorectal cancer, particularly among young people, have recently been linked to diets high in red meat and sugar, as well as diets lacking fiber.
“Ideally, you want to minimize this risk with your diet, not increase it,” Ms. Clarke said.
Fitness model Petrina Barber, 41, believes a carnivore diet improved her athletic performance and energy levels
On TikTok, a wellness influencer who posts under the name @healthwmac shares clips of her strange diet, which includes chunks of raw liver as a snack.
And while a carnivorous diet could contribute to alarming new health trends, it can also increase the risk of contracting nearly extinct diseases.
Mrs Clarke pointed out scurvy, which is caused by a severe vitamin C deficiency.
The condition has its roots dating back to 16th century pirates who rarely had a steady supply of fruits and vegetables while at sea, as well as the Irish potato famine.
Vitamin C helps form collagen, an important component of connective tissues, which support the structure of blood vessels.
Symptoms include bleeding sores, tooth loss, anemia, swelling, bone pain, and difficulty breathing.
Modern cases are rare in developed countries such as the United States, although eliminating foods rich in vitamin C such as citrus may increase the risk.
“Removing crucial sources of vitamin C is likely to leave a serious dent in the immune system, making it more susceptible to colds and other viruses,” Ms Clarke said.
“Vitamin C is essential for both collagen synthesis and immune function.”
‘Lack of vitamin C in the diet can cause scurvy. Scurvy will leave you too exhausted to go to the gym and could cause you to lose your teeth.
Additionally, he noted that a carnivore diet can lead to excessive protein consumption or protein poisoning. This is an excessive intake of protein without carbohydrates or fats to balance the nutrients.
In these cases, the kidneys cannot adequately filter all the proteins and struggle to keep up. Ms Clarke said that over time this “can lead to kidney damage, especially in those with pre-existing kidney conditions”.
Red meat and animal products such as cheese and butter are also high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can cause plaque to build up in the arteries, causing the organ to pump harder.
“When your diet is just plate after plate of saturated fat and cholesterol, you’re putting enormous pressure on your heart,” Ms. Clarke said.
“Eating a carnivore diet long-term will increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.”
Perhaps one of the most famous carnivore diet advocates is Liver King, a social media influencer who has more than eight million followers on TikTok and Instagram.
The ‘King’, whose real name is Brian Johnson, is known for his love of raw meat and his primitive lifestyle, insisting that the ‘ancestral’ diet is responsible for his massively muscular physique.
However, he has been criticized for using steroids, leaving critics to blame performance-enhancing drugs rather than the influencer’s bizarre diet.
Searches for the carnivore have skyrocketed 79 percent in the last year alone, peaking at nearly 200,000 between December 2023 and January 2024, according to Google search data.
And the diet videos have garnered more than 1 billion views on TikTok.