Carnivore Diet for Diabetics: Simply Meat, or is it more?

In the vast variety of dietary options, the simplicity of the carnivore diet emerges as a beacon of relief for individuals navigating diabetes. Paring down dietary choices exclusively to animal products might seem like uncharted territory for many. Yet, this approach may present a novel and optimal direction toward better diabetic health. 

Through the lens of scientific scrutiny and personal testimonies, this post aims to shed light on how a diet devoid of plant-based foods could revolutionize the way we perceive dietary wellness. Join us as we unravel the intricacies of adopting a carnivore diet tailored for those striving to support their diabetes symptoms, empowering you with the knowledge needed to make an informed decision on whether this meat-centric path aligns with your health objectives.

How do dietary choices affect diabetes?

All forms of impaired blood glucose conditions — prediabetes, type 1, and type 2 diabetes — stem from your body’s inability to properly sequester and utilize blood glucose. When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks it down into its smallest form, glucose. 

In a healthy body, once glucose enters the blood supply, it travels to the liver and from there to the rest of the body where it enters cells and tissues to provide energy. The pancreas releases insulin in response to increasing blood glucose after a meal, which prompts cells to open up and absorb glucose. Any excess glucose, that hasn’t been absorbed, gets converted into fat and stored for later use. Insulin resistance occurs when cells (liver, muscle, and adipose tissue) stop responding to insulin.

How does insulin resistance impact blood glucose levels?

When cells become resistant to insulin, glucose has nowhere to go and will keep rising in the blood. In response to rising glucose, the pancreas continues to overwork and release insulin in the blood to control blood sugar. 

Different levels of blood sugar in your lab results can be read as:

• Normal: Less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L)
• Prediabetes:100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L)
• Diabetes: 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests.

Uncontrolled blood sugar causes severe complications including diabetic nephropathy (eye, kidney damage, and nerve damage), and heart complications amongst others.

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Insulin resistance: The evolutionary hypothesis

Today, we associate insulin resistance as an identifying mark of chronic diseases. But, what if insulin resistance provided us with an evolutionary advantage for millions of years?

Brand-Miller and Colagiuri propose that the selection for insulin resistance genes provided an evolutionary advantage in a time when we had limited carbohydrate access and plentiful access to animal protein and fats. Insulin resistance in gestating mothers allowed blood glucose to be redirected to fetus development, resulting in increased body weight and a higher chance of survival.

However, the advent of agriculture and the rapid switch from a high protein diet to easily and abundantly available simple carbohydrates has potentially turned insulin resistance, a millennia old survival tool, into a causative factor leading to metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of health conditions like insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, high triglycerides, hypertension, and NAFLD.

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A different approach to diabetes management

Consumption of carbohydrates is a prerequisite to glucose metabolism and high blood glucose levels. The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how much and how quickly food spikes your blood glucose. Glucose from complex carbohydrates like whole foods (e.g., brinjal, onion) take longer to enter your blood supply, while simple carbohydrates from fast foods and sugary beverages enter your blood supply quickly.

Traditional approaches to diabetes management recommend eating a diet high in low GI fruit and vegetables, lean meats and nuts and seeds, etc. But what about a completely different approach, like the carnivore diet?

What is the Carnivore diet?

The carnivore diet is an all-meat, no-carbs (from plant foods) diet. Some proponents equate the carnivore diet with an extreme elimination diet, similar to the keto diet which includes high fat, high protein animal sources and absolutely no carbohydrates from plant sources including seed oils, marinades, and dressings.

The one big difference between a keto and a pure carnivore diet is the strict requirement for nutritional ketosis.

What is nutritional ketosis?

Nutritional ketosis is a state of metabolism when your body comfortably breaks down dietary and stored body fat for energy. While the edicts of a keto diet primarily optimize for nutritional ketosis, the carnivore diet emphasizes the consumption of only animal-based foods which may include high carbohydrate additions like heavy cream, cheese, yogurt, etc., and may result in switching nutritional ketosis on and off.

The no plant-based carbohydrate distinction becomes even more important since some animal meats (liver) and dairy products contain carbohydrates and are allowed on the carnivore diet.

Potential health benefits of a carnivore diet on blood glucose

Proponents of the carnivore diet emphasize that plant-based foods contain high levels of antinutrients and allergens while providing limited nutrition when compared to animal-based proteins. A 2021 online survey amongst 2029 adults consuming a carnivore diet published in Current Developments in Nutrition highlights the following self-reported health benefits.

Regulating blood sugar levels

As previously discussed, carbohydrate consumption is a prerequisite for blood glucose. A carnivore diet primarily relies on adequate amounts of animal fat and protein (generally a recommendation of a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio) to fulfill your caloric requirements and muscle maintenance.

Ketones (end products of fat metabolism) — acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone— do not raise blood glucose or insulin. Although there’s a lack of robust clinical data on the effects of a strict carnivore diet on health, carnivore-adjacent diets (very low carbohydrate keto and Atkins diet) have been associated with improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels.

Weight Loss

Once your body successfully transitions to nutritional ketosis to meet its energy requirements, the body begins to utilize its stored fat in addition to dietary fats. In the absence of carbohydrates and thus insulin, your body leans toward burning more fat, which may result in weight loss since insulin prompts the body to store fat rather than break it down.

Another proposed mechanism for increased weight loss on low carbohydrate diets is that since gluconeogenesis is energy-intensive, it increases energy expenditure, contributing to weight loss.

While our body can utilize ketones for energy without carbohydrates, some body parts (brain, eyes, and kidney) require glucose. Without dietary glucose, the body breaks down protein into glucose (gluconeogenesis) to fulfill this minimum glucose requirement. 

Some foods are more satiating and longer to digest than others. Proteins and fats are fulfilling macronutrients that trigger the release of satiating hormones like cholecystokinin (CCK) and PYY and reduce appetite and cravings while keeping you full for longer periods.

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Cardiovascular disease and animal (saturated) fats

Concerns regarding the consumption of animal (saturated) fats form one of the biggest roadblocks when starting the carnivore diet. Saturated fats from animal sources have been linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but recent studies have challenged this view.

Saturated fats are crucial for cellular health, as they play a vital role in maintaining cell membrane integrity and function. Our cells need saturated fats for their membranes, which help in regulating what enters and exits the cells, contributing to overall cellular health.

So, what does the current science on animal fats recommend? Is it safe to consider a carnivore diet for those managing symptoms of diabetes?

Human nutrition is a complex topic and difficult to measure since variables like diet are difficult to control and trials yield different results based on race, gender, durations, bias and funding, adding layers of complexity when it comes to test results and recommendations. 

Recent evaluations have failed to provide a causal link between consumption of animal fats with increased cardiovascular risk, cardiovascular mortality, or total mortality (death irrespective of cause). Researchers are now questing for the real culprit, animal fats or refined carbohydrates, behind the greater risk of type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of myocardial infarctions (heart attack).

Proponents of the carnivore diet, who have been on the diet from 9 months to 20 months, self-report improvements in overall health, well-being, weight management, reductions in BMI, HbA1C, and diabetes medication use.

Concluding remarks: Carnivore diet and diabetes

Our current understanding of the beneficial health effects of the carnivore diet suggested by carnivore adjacent diets like very low-carb keto and Atkins diets includes improved insulin sensitivity, improved blood glucose levels, and weight management as well self-reported benefits like improved overall health, well-being, and reductions in diabetes medications. These point towards a way of life that can potentially alter how we approach diabetes support in the future.

But the caveat, one size does not fit all, remains true. The carnivore diet by its exclusionary nature is limiting and potentially inaccessible to certain populations. Factors such as affordability of quality grass-fed meats, cultural tendencies to eat the same cuts of meats (beef steaks), and excluding nutritionally rich organ meats and wild game can inhibit access to a wide range of nutrients. This can potentially lead to nutritional deficiencies (calcium and vitamin C) and overload (vitamin A and iron) if left unchecked. Moreover, research also emphasizes differences in metabolism and nutritional requirements based on genetics, race, age, gender, physical activity, gut health, etc. 

If you find yourself struggling with impaired blood glucose levels, going on a short-term (6-12 weeks) carnivore diet foray may potentially help you lower blood glucose levels, improve glucose sensitivity, and lead to weight loss. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the carnivore diet good for diabetics?

Carnivore-adjacent diets like low-carb keto diets have been associated with improved diabetes health markers such as HBA1C, weight loss, improved blood glucose levels, etc.

Who should not do the carnivore diet?

If you struggle with chronic kidney disease or protein intolerance, you should not follow a carnivore diet and discuss any diet alterations with your health provider.

Can diabetics eat as much meat as they want?

Yes, as long as you don’t limit yourself to one type of meat. Eat a wide variety of animal foods like muscle and organ meats, white meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Meat (fat and protein) is highly satiating, which leads to a decrease in appetite and overeating.