Doctors have beef with this trendy new diet.
The carnivore diet — which involves consuming only animal byproducts such as meat, eggs and dairy — has taken the internet by storm, as fitness fanatics swear by the high protein, no vegetable lifestyle.
While some people insist it has helped them shed weight and made them healthier than ever, experts are skeptical about the true benefits of eating the rigid diet.
On the podcast “The Doctor’s Kitchen,” Dr. Rupy Aujla warned strict carnivores that their diet — along with the keto diet, which involves a low-carb menu — could “be pro-inflammatory and pro-aging,” pointing to past research.
“They observed changes in key organs such as the heart and kidneys where the accumulation of senescent cells contributed to systemic inflammation and toxicity,” he explained, per Express.
“These don’t get cleared away by the immune system, these are the cells you don’t want in excess and they can contribute to overall systemic inflammation.”
While other doctors have voiced concerns over adequate nutrition as a result of a meat-heavy, veggie-less diet, Aujla noted that the carnivorous lifestyle could also increase the risk of “cardio fibrosis and dysregulated mitochondrial function” in addition to increased cholesterol levels.
“This is something that would concern me, that people are putting themselves at risk of cardiovascular disease and even dementia as well,” he said, while adding that a short-term iteration of the diet could prove beneficial to “those with genuine intolerances.”
“I think this is playing with fire considering we don’t have long-term studies of people consuming these diets.”
