‘Playing with fire’: Doctors issue warning over popular new diet

Experts have warned against a popular new diet that’s taken the internet by storm, saying it could lead to “heart issues and dementia”.

Doctors have beef with this trendy new diet.

The carnivore diet – which involves consuming only animal by-products such as meat, eggs and dairy – has taken the internet by storm, as fitness fanatics swear by the high protein, no vegetable lifestyle.

While some people insist it has helped them shed weight and made them healthier than ever, experts are sceptical about the true benefits of eating the rigid diet, The New York Post reports.

One of many social media users who have touted the benefits of a high fat, carnivore diet. Picture: TikTok

It involves consuming only animal by-products such as meat, eggs and dairy. Picture: TikTok

On The Doctor’s Kitchen podcast, Dr Rupy Aujla warned strict carnivores that their diet – along with the keto diet, which involves a low-carb menu – could “be pro-inflammatory and pro-ageing”, pointing to past research.

“They observed changes in key organs such as the heart and kidneys where the accumulation of senescent cells contributed to systemic inflammation and toxicity,” he explained, per Express.

“These don’t get cleared away by the immune system, these are the cells you don’t want in excess and they can contribute to overall systemic inflammation.”

Experts have voiced concerns over adequate nutrition as a result of a meat-heavy, vegetable-free diet.

While other doctors have voiced concerns over adequate nutrition as a result of a meat-heavy, veggie-less diet, Dr Aujla noted that the carnivorous lifestyle could also increase the risk of “cardio fibrosis and disregulated mitochondrial function” in addition to increased cholesterol levels.

“This is something that would concern me, that people are putting themselves at risk of cardiovascular disease and even dementia as well,” he said, while adding that a short-term iteration of the diet could prove beneficial to “those with genuine intolerances”.

“I think this is playing with fire considering we don’t have long-term studies of people consuming these diets.”

This article originally appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission