Recently I started recording all of the anecdotal benefits I heard people report that they experienced from following a carnivore way of eating. The list quickly grew to over 100 different benefits involving every body system. Many were things I never thought you could improve, such as eyesight, and some were benefits I never would have thought of, like needing less sleep.
All of these reports are first hand testimonies that I have either heard in person or seen written in carnivore diet groups I follow. There is no reason to suspect conflicts of interest or ulterior motives for claiming any of them. Most of these improvements have been attested to by multiple people and many of them are very common to hear.
By providing this list I am not claiming that these benefits would be experienced only, or even primarily, from a carnivore diet. Many of these benefits are also experienced on a ketogenic diet, or even other food elimination or autoimmune protocols. It's not clear which of these benefits that have been attested to were the result of switching from a ketogenic to carnivore diet, or which were experienced when someone switched directly from a Standard American Diet to carnivore.
I'm not claiming that this list is anything more than it is- anecdotal claims, many of which are n=1. However, there is still a lot we can take away from this. Modern medical and nutrition wisdom has led us to believe that we can't definitively know anything about health without peer reviewed scientific studies proving a fact. In reality, we have the ability to gain a lot of accurate information about the world around us from observations and shared wisdom. We do this all this time and make hundreds of decisions every day based on information we gather this way and there's no reason health and nutrition should be excluded. People have accumulated invaluable wisdom about our bodies and food for thousands of years using observations, their own methods of testing, and intuition.
Additionally, most of the people who have reported these benefits have tried such a restricted diet as carnivore after years and decades of struggling with health problems which they have tried many different diets, medications, and lifestyle changes to address. These people are very in tune with their bodies and are very aware of what lifestyle changes cause or don't cause certain effects. I would trust these individuals to discern what causes changes in their personal health better than I would trust a statistical analysis of a randomized trail or food survey to be able to.
Last of all, there's no reason to doubt that any of these benefits could come from a carnivore diet. While our methods of scientific analysis can lead us to think of the human body as a machine reacting in random ways to random influences, there are actually fundamental ways we were made to live in the world around us, and when we get back to those, it will improve many elements of our health, which are all interconnected. A carnivore diet drastically reduces sugar (carbohydrate consumption) and boosts nutrients, which are going to directly affect blood sugar, hormones, digestion, immunity, inflammation, and diseases of nutrient deficiencies, and all of which are connected and in some way affect every other body process.
Therefore, first hand accounts have attested to a carnivore diet improving or curing all of the following:
1. Autoimmune conditions (symptoms and clinical diagnoses)
2. Gut disruption
3. Weight loss (minor and extreme)
4. IBS
5. Brain fog
6. Weight loss stalls experienced on a ketogenic diet
7. Energy
8. Requiring less sleep
9. SIBO
10. Sugar cravings
11. Prostate problems (frequent urination)
12. Bloating
13. Ulcerative Colitis
14. Frequent infections
15. Perforated colon
16. Diverticulitis
17. Anxiety
18. Hunger
19. Knee pain
20. Stress
21. Libido
22. Psoriasis
23. Eczema
24. Acne
25. Alcoholism
26. Dermatitis
27. Blood in stools
28. Premenstrual cramps
29. Stable moods
30. Hot flashes
31. Fatty liver
32. Opiate addiction
33. Muscle definition/body composition
34. Nerve damage symptoms
35. Distribution of weight (losing weight from stomach rather than breasts or face)
36. Periods returning
37. Red eyes
38. Carpel tunnel
39. Diabetic nerve pain
40. Joint pain
41. Positivity
42. Focus
43. Depression
44. Blood sugar numbers
45. OCD
46. Fatigue
47. Hypertension (high blood pressure) (off medications)
48. Psoriatic/Rheumatoid/Osteo arthritis
49. Muscle pain
50. Inflammation
51. Memory
52. Moodiness
53. Sniffling/sneezing
54. Gastritis
55. Hand numbness
56. Narcissism
57. Restless leg
58. Insomnia
59. Narcoleptic seizure (50% improvement on keto, near 100% improvement on carnivore)
60. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
61. Cholesterol blood markers
62. Lyme disease symptoms
63. Swollen hands
64. A1C levels
65. Endurance
66. Eye floaters
67. Kidney function levels
68. Lactose intolerance
69. Parkinson's disease symptoms
70. Skin sensitivity
71. Heat regulation
72. Asthma (off inhalers)
73. Ehler-Danlos Syndrome symptoms
74. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome symptoms
75. Myopathy symptoms
76. Fibromyalgia
77. Bleeding gums
78. Eyesight (requiring updated, lower prescriptions)
79. Hearing
80. Fertility
81. Migraines
82. Night sweats
83. Suicidal ideations
84. Bipolar disorder
85. Prostate cancer (cured)
86. Endometriosis
87. Benign tumors (cured)
88. Gallbladder issues
89. Interstitial cystitis (painful bladder)
90. Nail strength
91. Hair strength
92. Sensitive teeth
93. Less grey hair
94. Hand pain
95. Back stiffness
96. Better dreams
97. Idiopathic thrombocytopenia
98. Seasonal allergies (off medications)
99. Heartburn
100. Cavities
101. Whiter teeth
102. Dark under-eye circles
103. Under-eye fine wrinkles
104. Skin elasticity
105. Heightened senses
106. Bacterial Vaginosis
107. Increased sperm count and motility
108. Warts (falling off)
109. Snoring]
110. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (reduced medication)
111. Candida
112. Itchy skin
113. Proptosis
114. Dry, rough skin
115. Body odor
116. Ligament pain
117. Hair color returning from grey
118. Chronic diarrhea
119. Soreness and shortness of breath from exercise
120. Chin hairs (females)
121. Renal calculus (kidney stones)
122. Rocky mountain spotted fever symptoms
123. Erectile dysfunction
124. Lymphedema
125. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
126. Crohn's Colitis
127. Gout
128. Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) scan results (zero)
129. Gastroparesis
130. Adrenal Fatigue
131. Avoiding colds
132. Chronic constipation
133. Confidence
134. Pet allergies
135. Cellulite
136. Sunburns (tan easily, don't get sunburned)
137. Metal allergies
138. Clean teeth
139. Deep sleep, waking up during the night
140. Creativity
141. Skin discoloration
142. Diabetes
143. Ventral hernia
144. Venous insufficiency
145. Tinea pedis (athlete's foot)
146. Mineral deficiencies
147. Glaucoma
148. Hair loss
149. Keratosis Pilaris/ Follicular Keratosis
150. Lymphodema
151. Swelling
152. Fungal infections
153. Less frequent urination
154. Age related watery eyes
155. Jet lag
156. Morning breath
157. Mosquito bites
158. Dizziness
159. Indigestion
160. Thicker eyebrows
161. Patience
162. Herniated disk
163. Bladder infections
164. Periodontal disease
165. Dandruff
166. Earwax
167. Dental infections
168. Liver spots
169. Tolerance to the cold
170. Nail biting
171. Skin tags
172. Food sensitivities (gluten)
173. Male facial hair growth
174. Flexibility
175. Cracked heals
176. Ankylosing spodylitis
177. Sciatica
178. Clicking joints
179. Petechiae
180. Alcohol tolerance
Please add the skin condition Lichen Sclerosus to the ‘cured’ list. Mine went away in my ninth month of carnivore after I eliminated straight heavy cream. I’m currently in my 19th month, and it’s still gone. I continued to consume some dairy in the form of hard cheeses and creme fraiche (a cultured yogurt-like (probiotic) made with heavy cream). My doctor had told me this painful condition was an incurable autoimmunity, for which she prescribed a steroid ointment.
Hi Krishna, I have not seen any testimonies about vitiligo. I just did a quick search in some of the carnivore groups I follow and haven't found anything. I'd be interested to hear if you find anything or experience results with carnivore!
hi - thanks for putting together this list. can you point me to any blog posts Or anyone who's vitiligo improved from following carnivore diet. I am doing it on and off and dying to see someone with their vitiligo improved (i do see psoriasis and other AI conditions but not this).
thanks
Krish