Florida Man on Carnivore Diet Leaks Cholesterol from His Hands

A 40-year-old man from Florida noticed a thick, yellowish substance oozing from his hands and decided to seek medical assistance. Initially, he developed painless yellow nodules on his eyelids, which then began to appear on his palms, soles, and elbows. The doctors at Tampa General Hospital were shocked to realize that it was cholesterol that was leaking from his body.

During the investigation by the doctors, the man revealed he has been following a diet advice he found on the internet called the carnivore diet. Several groups have been formed on social media to promote the benefits of carnivore diet. This diet aims to eliminate almost all plant-based foods, and the nutrition is derived from animal-sourced foods. ^[1,2]

This ketogenic diet suggests that almost 70-75% of the calories consumed must be from fat, while the rest is divided between proteins (20%) and carbohydrates (<10%). To fulfill these criteria, he ate about 2.7 kg (6 pounds) of cheese, almost 4.1 kg (9 pounds) of butter, and hamburgers that were stuffed with additional fat every day for 8 months. The diet helped him lose weight and also improve his energy levels, but the cholesterol levels in his body spiked to 1000 mg/dL from 210 mg/dL once he started the diet, while the normal range for a healthy adult is under 200 mg/dL.

This condition, published in JAMA Cardiology, was diagnosed as xanthelasma in which yellowish papules and plaques occur due to localized accumulation of lipid deposits. It is a benign, asymptomatic lesion without many complications that is commonly seen on the eyelids. Although this condition is harmless, treatment is generally preferred due to cosmetic concerns. Some of the treatment procedures done include surgery, liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, CO₂ lasers, Er: YAG lasers, chemical peel, and radiofrequency ablation. ^[3]

References:

1. O’Hearn, Amber. "Can a carnivore diet provide all essential nutrients?." Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity 27, no. 5 (2020): 312-316. Accessed on 10 February 2025.

2. Lennerz, Belinda S., Jacob T. Mey, Owen H. Henn, and David S. Ludwig. "Behavioral characteristics and self-reported health status among 2029 adults consuming a “carnivore diet”." Current developments in nutrition 5, no. 12 (2021): nzab133. Accessed on 10 February 2025.

3. Laftah, Zainab, and Firas Al-Niaimi. "Xanthelasma: an update on treatment modalities." Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery 11, no. 1 (2018): 1-6. Accessed on 10 February 2025.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Dr. Nethra Suryanarayanan/MSM)