A man who ate “very extreme amounts of fat and protein” as part of the carnivore diet suddenly developed yellow lumps on the palms of his hands — deposits of excess cholesterol under his skin, his doctor says.
The unnamed patient, who is in his 40s, was eating up to 6 to 9 pounds of cheese a day, plus sticks of butter and other fat that he would add to his daily hamburgers, says Dr. Kostas Marmagkiolis, an interventional cardiologist at Tampa General Hospital, USF Health and Tampa Heart in Florida, who treated him.
Tests found the man’s total blood cholesterol was more than 1,000, one of the highest results Marmagkiolis has ever seen. Healthy levels for adults are less than 200.
“This patient was not aware that his cholesterol was that high,” Marmagkiolis tells TODAY.com, noting he had a normal cholesterol for many years.
“Abruptly within one year, his cholesterol dramatically increased, and at the same time, those lesions appeared. So we have to assume — based on the history of this patient — that those lesions were directly caused by the high cholesterol, which was directly caused by the type of diet that he was (eating).” The patient developed yellow lumps in the creases of his palms — deposits of excess cholesterol under his skin. For eight months, the man had been following the carnivore diet — a high-protein, no-carb plan that focuses on eating only animal products, especially meat, eggs and some dairy; and excludes fruits, vegetables and grains. It means eating lots of saturated fat, which can raise cholesterol, registered dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick warns. Health
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The patient said he lost weight, had more energy and experienced improved mental clarity, according to a case report in JAMA Cardiology . But his primary care doctor noticed the fatty yellow bumps on his hands and referred him to Marmagkiolis. Warning sign of high cholesterol
The yellow deposits under the skin are a red flag for cardiologists to check cholesterol levels, Marmagkiolis says.
“We believe that is […]
Man on carnivore diet has cholesterol of 1,000, sees shocking symptom on his hands
