Carnivore Scare - Top Cardio Journal Lowers its Standards for Propaganda

I honestly can’t believe I’m writing this. JAMA Cardiology Published a Report. And it's stunning!

I now have a concise 6 minute video on this topic. If you prefer to watch, click below. Otherwise, read on…

I honestly can’t believe I’m writing this. Let’s clarify something up front: I do not fancy myself “the shield” of the carnivore diet.

While I do think it can help some people and deserves further scientific exploration, I don’t think it’s for everyone, do not proclaim humans evolved as hyper-carnivores, nor that plants are trying to kill us. However, I cannot deny that there is a pattern of tremendous bias against red meat in the media and medicine that goes well beyond the data.

And, in the context of the modern carnivore diet movement, this bias is compressed, concentrated and placed on full display. A recent case report published in JAMA Cardiology proves my point.

Here is the whole report. This is it.

And it’s been picked up and propagated across news outlets – held up as a cautionary tale about the dangerous of a cultish dietary fad.

However, in reality, this is ammunition FOR the carnivore movement by virtue of the fact that the case is so farcical that it reads to me more like a Monty Python skit than a medical report.

The Case

In this case a man described only as “A Man in his 40s…” purportedly consumed a carnivore diet for 8 month and then presented with yellow cholesterol deposits and was diagnosed with xanthelasma. No personal medical, genetic, family or other history is given.

But here’s the kicker: to suggests that he was eating 6 – 9 pounds of cheese, butter and hamburger daily, and losing weight.

There are two possibilities here. Either this is an inaccurate report, or the subject in question is Mr. Creosote.

Now, let me explain the real issue here…

The Real Issue

N = 1 case reports are fine. They can have value, including as cautionary tales. I also don’t subscribe to the idea there is one best human diet, and fully believe there are genetic susceptibilities that could be contraindications for a carnivore diet.

However, this is supposed to be a top cardio journal. But the report, as written, is sloppy devoid of details and pretty much implausible.

Don’t believe me? Try to eat 96 ounces of meat, butter and cheese over even one day. Go ahead. I bet you can’t even come close. Then image this is the least amount of food you could eat every day for 240 days.

That fact that a ‘prestigious’ academic journal accepted and published this strongly suggests to me that they’re willing to lower their standards to zero, provided the content is effective propaganda against stigmatized an “extreme” dietary pattern that doesn’t align with what the status quo deems “normal” and “healthy.”

This lowering of academic and intellectual standards to attack the “other” bothers me deeply. It would bother me just if the report read “Man in his 40s age 12,000 Calories of Broccoli per day and grew tree bark as skin.”

What Will Happen (Is Happening)

And it bothers me because I know exactly what will happen… I can see it happening in real time (and on repeat as this is becoming a pattern).

• Those who conceive of a carnivore diet as a dangerous fad wave this report like a flag, without considering its merit, or lack thereof. I’m already watching major influencers do mental gymnastics to try to justify using this report as ammunition against animal-based low-carb diets.

• And those who are fans of the carnivore diet pick up on its clear deficits (as they are motivated to do so) and conclude that “conventional medicine” and “the science” is corrupt, untrustworthy, and against them.

• The polarized points of view widen the chasm of mistrust, pushing each party to a greater extreme.

• Nobody is helped and dinner tables are divided.

As an aside, I did reach out and message JAMA Cardiology to see if they truly felt this was a report they wanted to showcase under their brand. No response.

And as a nuance note, I recognize the format of the “Cardiovascular Images” category under which this case report is filed has a tight 150-word limit. But that doesn’t excuse the deficiencies in this report.

I’ll also reinforce, while this case is an extreme example of low publication standards and bias, this is part of a pattern. For more, see these two newsletters (one, two) to start.

Comic Relief

Finally, as comic relief to end this letter, here are some quotes from colleague physicians and medical students. I asked them to react to this report. Here’s what they had to say:

• “If I wrote that report as a first-year medical student my attending would have cut off my balls.”

• “That’s case report is so sloppy they should but it between burger buns and call it Joe.”

• “Where’s that nun from Game of Thrones with the “SHAME” bell?”

• “I’m no carnivore, but damn if this isn’t a feather in their cap. Is this really JAMA cardiology?”