In an unusual case, a trio of American cardiologists, two at Tampa General Hospital and the third at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, reported an incident of an adult man developing yellowish nodules on his hands, feet and elbows after adopting a carnivore diet.
In their paper published in JAMA Cardiology, Konstantinos Marmagkiolis, Jaime Caballero, and Cezar Iliescu, describe the symptoms of a patient who had come to Tampa General seeking aid after experiencing yellowish nodules appearing on various parts of his body, and their diagnosis.
MedicalXpress reports that the patient, a man in his 40s, told the doctors the nodules had appeared three weeks before his hospital visit.
After questioning, they determined that he had adopted the so-called carnivore diet approximately eight months before the nodules started appearing.
The carnivore diet is a fad diet based on eating large amounts of animal fats and very little of anything else. In this case, the patient reported eating nearly 4.5kg of butter, cheese and other fatty foods every day since starting the diet – even going as far as to add fat to the hamburgers he consumed daily.
Blood tests showed his cholesterol was four times normal levels.
The doctors diagnosed him with xanthelasma, a condition in which yellowish deposits of cholesterol build up in various parts of the body – in this case, on the palms, the soles of his feet and his elbows.
His case had progressed to the point that some of the cholesterol was pushing through cracks in the skin.
The doctors advised the man to cut back on his fat intake. But they also noted that doing so would not get rid of the nodules – they required surgical excision or burning them with liquid nitrogen.
They also reminded the patient that such high levels of cholesterol could lead to a host of other conditions such as cardiovascular disease, a greatly increased risk of stroke, and eventually, liver problems.
Study details
Yellowish nodules on a man consuming a carnivore diet
Konstantinos Marmagkiolis, Jaime Caballero, Cezar Iliescu.
Published in JAMA Cardiology on 5 February 2025
A man in his 40s presented with a 3-week history of asymptomatic yellowish nodules on his palms, soles, and elbows. The patient adopted a carnivore diet approximately 8 months before presentation. His dietary habits included a high intake of fats, consisting of 6 to 9 lb of cheese, sticks of butter, and additional fat incorporated into his daily hamburgers. He reported weight loss, increased energy, and improved mental clarity. Physical examination revealed multiple painless yellowish nodules on his palms and elbows.
The patient’s cholesterol level exceeded 1000 mg/dL (to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259), significantly higher than his baseline of level of 210 to 300 mg/dL. A diagnosis of xanthelasma was made. This case highlights the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications.
JAMA Cardiology article – Yellowish Nodules on a Man Consuming a Carnivore Diet (Restricted access)
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