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Topics: Health, Food And Drink, Lifestyle
Joe Harker
Health experts have warned people following the 'carnivore diet' about the possible dangers, particularly among younger people who think they're not old or unhealthy enough to suffer potentially fatal symptoms.
Spend any time on the internet and you'll have heard of all sorts of fad diets where people who've tried them tell you what a transformational impact it had on their lives.
Then you can go and hear from all of the horrified doctors and assorted health experts who are having conniptions at the idea that people might be trying something so dangerous to their health.
Particularly when a doctor is warning that he's been seeing 35-year-olds who look healthy on the outside but run a serious risk of having a heart attack because of what they're eating.
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As boring as it sounds, a healthy balanced diet is still your best bet when it comes to looking after your body.
As the name suggests it's basically the vegan diet's evil twin where you pretty much only eat animal products, so you'll be getting a hell of a lot of protein but not much of certain other nutrients.
Some people claim it's been their ticket to good health after trying other diets, claiming that dropping carbs, fruits and vegetables is the key to a happier life.
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However, despite the anecdotal claims there is perishingly little clinical evidence to support the idea that going on a high-protein diet or even going full carnivore is good for you.
Dietitian Fit nutritionist Reema Pillai told LADbible that people trying such a diet ran the risk of vitamin deficiencies and increased cholesterol.
Some people who've tried chowing down on the carnivore diet have said it makes their physique look exemplary, but as the nutritionist warned with cholesterol the damage can be done on the inside.
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US-based cardiologist Dr Dmitry Yaranov warned that he was treating apparently fit and healthy 35-year-olds for heart attacks caused by these kinds of diets.
The cardiologist explained that he'd 'seen what's inside those vessels' and it looked like high cholesterol, endothelial (a thin layer of cells lining the blood vessels) dysfunction, chronic inflammation and a premature build-up of fats and cholesterol in the arteries.
All of that leads to a clogged-up cardiovascular system which can leave a person looking muscular on the outside and a wreck on the inside.
"No symptoms. No warning. Just a ticking time bomb," the doctor said of the danger.
Harvard Health says that two grams of protein per day per kilogram of your own bodyweight is the upper limit, while recommended amounts are put at 56 grams per day for a man and 46 grams per day for a woman.
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You do need some of it in your diet but when it becomes your whole diet that's a problem, as the experts recommend that only around 10 percent of calories in your diet come from protein.
High protein diets come with a number of health hazards, including a greater risk of kidney stones, while the kind of food you'd need to eat to maintain such a diet also poses a danger.
If you're eating a lot of red meat that's a problem which opens the door to a plethora of other health hazards. However, even if you do see out healthier forms of protein than the carnivore diet.
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Healthline warns that any weight loss from such a diet tends to be short term, and excess protein is usually stored as fat so you're likely to gain weight in the long run.
High protein diets are also low in fibre, which can cause some problems at the other end of your digestive tract with conditions such as constipation and diarrhea.
The nutritionist said: "There are numerous health benefits linked to the regular consumption of fibre including regular bowel health, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, improved cardiovascular health and reduced risk of some types of cancers.
"Therefore, removing fibre from the diet is dangerous and will increase the risk of a multitude of health conditions, including heart and liver disease."
Excess protein can also make existing kidney conditions worse, while the foods typically found in the carnivore diet have been linked by studies to a higher risk of cancer.