After having followed a carnivorous diet for eight months, a man saw yellow masses form on his hands, his feet and his elbows: it was his cholesterol!
- A man who has followed a carnivorous diet for 8 months was at the hospital after yellow balls formed on his hands, his feet and his elbows.
- The analyzes revealed that the man who ate only cheese, animal fats and meat, had a cholesterol level more than 1,000mg/dl.
- The yellow balls were thus cholesterol plates.
The carnivorous diet consists in consuming only foods of animal origin: that is to say meat of course, but also fish, eggs and certain dairy products. According to its followers, this type of diet saves muscle mass, losing weight quickly or improving energy level and cognitive functions.
An opinion shared by a forty -year -old patient at Tampa hospital (Florida, USA) who has adopted this diet for eight months. He assured doctors to be in great shape … except that small strange yellow balls were formed at the level of the palm of his hands, the soles of his feet and his elbows.
Carnivorous diet: yellow balls that appeared three weeks earlier
In the case study published in the journal Jama Cardiologyit is reported that man was eager to follow the carnivorous regime to the letter. “Its eating habits included a high consumption of fats, made up of 3 to 4 kg of cheese, butter sticks and additional fats incorporated into its daily burgers.” The yellowish masses who worried the man in his forties, had appeared three weeks before his consultation.
Blood analyzes, carried out by doctors, revealed that his cholesterol level had exploded since his last exams. It exceeded 1,000 mg/dl. This is significantly much higher than its basic level from 210 to 300 mg/DL before diet, and especially the rate recommended by professionals under 200 mg/DL.
Faced with these results, the team immediately understood the nature of these painful balls visible under their skin: they were cholesterol deposits, a disorder known as Xanthelasma.
This case report describes a diagnose of xanthelasma in a man in his 40s who adopted a carnivore diet 8 months before presentation. https://t.co/0nltxfu2ee pic.twitter.com/ntjmocik2l
– Jama Cardiology (@jamacardio) January 24, 2025
Xanthelasma: a sign of hypercholesterolemia
Xanthelasma is a frequent benign skin condition in people with hypercholesterolemia. These mild deposits of whitish and/or yellowish plates, also called xanthome, are formed under the dermis or in the tendons. Most often, they appear in the upper and lower eyelids, but they can also settle – as in this Viandard patient – in other parts of the body (hands, elbows, knees, joints, etc.).
As the authors of the case study point out, patient disorders highlight “The impact of eating habits on lipid rates and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications”.
However, if these masses are often the sign of a high cholesterol level, they can also have genetic or secondary origins (diabetes, thyroid problem, etc.).
