The carnivore diet, an increasingly popular and restrictive dietary approach, centers around the exclusive consumption of animal products. This article delves into the potential of the carnivore diet for muscle gain, its nutritional adequacy, and the broader implications for health and athletic performance and longevity.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet involves consuming only animal products, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and limited amounts of dairy. It excludes all plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and nuts. By avoiding all carbohydrates, the carnivore diet aims to shift the body's primary energy source from glucose to fat, potentially leading to weight loss and other metabolic changes.
Micronutrient Adequacy of the Carnivore Diet
A study assessed the micronutrient adequacy of four versions of the carnivore diet against national nutrient reference values (NRVs). The diet met NRV thresholds for several nutrients, including riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium, and vitamin A, and exceeded the sodium threshold. However, it fell short in thiamin, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin C, and in some cases, iron, folate, iodine, and potassium. Fiber intake was significantly below recommended levels.
Vitamins and Minerals
The carnivore diet can provide sufficient amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. However, it may be deficient in others, requiring careful planning to avoid inadequacies.
- B Vitamins: While riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 were consistently sufficient in the meal plans analyzed, thiamin (vitamin B1) was consistently insufficient.
- Folate: Folate requirements may be met by including liver and eggs in the diet.
- Vitamin C: Meat is recognized for having antiscorbutic (scurvy-preventing) properties. It is suggested that scurvy may develop due to a lack of carnitine, which can be derived endogenously using vitamin C, but is also available abundantly in meat. Thus, the large quantities of carnitine available in an animal-based diet may provide vitamin C sparing effects.
- Calcium and Magnesium: Calcium and magnesium intakes were below the RDI in all the theoretical meal plans.
- Potassium: Potassium intake was below the AI threshold in three of the four meals plan (one of which met 98%).
- Sodium: Sodium exceeded the thresholds by a factor of 15-20 across the four plans.
The Protein Paradox: Hypertrophy vs. Longevity
Meat is rich in amino acids and delivers vast amounts of nutrients, assisting in short-term health and hypertrophy. However, meat consumption can induce the activation of mTOR and IGF-1, accelerated aging, vascular constriction, atherosclerosis, heart disease, increased risk of diabetes, systemic inflammatory effects, cancers (including colorectal and prostate cancers), advanced glycation end products, impaired immune function / increased susceptibility to infection via downstream advanced glycation end product accumulation, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon ingestion, increased homocysteine levels among many other pathophysiologies.
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A systematic review shows clearly that meat is great for hypertrophy, short term nutrition, short term energy requirements, but a very poor choice when it comes to healthy aging and longevity. Animal protein is great for building muscle, short term energy, maintaining high levels of nutrients, but a carnivore diet holds too many adverse long term side effects to be considered a staple for a longevity-based diet.
Carnivore Diet and Athletic Performance
Potential Benefits
- Weight Loss: The carnivore diet can lead to weight loss by shifting the body's primary energy source from carbohydrates to fat, leading to ketosis and increased metabolism.
- Blood Sugar Management: The carnivore diet can stabilize blood sugar levels by preventing the spikes that occur after consuming carbohydrates or sugary foods.
Potential Risks
- Reduced Performance in High-Intensity Activities: Carbohydrates are great for fueling your expression of strength in the gym, but they aren’t an essential source of fuel for resistance training, however, Diets that eschew carbohydrates may negatively impact longer workouts (think 45 minutes or more), or training sessions that contain high amounts of volume (in excess of 10 working sets).
- Glycogen Replenishment: Glycogen replenishment between intense sessions becomes sluggish, reducing recovery capacity. Training quality may suffer, especially in terms of explosiveness, volume tolerance, and repeatability.
Tactical Solutions
Many athletes on carnivore or ketogenic diets implement tactical solutions rather than abandoning the diet altogether. One common method is the Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD), where carbohydrates are consumed only around training sessions-often using easily digestible sources like honey, fruit, or dairy. Another approach is cyclic carbohydrate refeeds, where higher carb days are scheduled every few days to restore glycogen levels. Others align their carbohydrate intake with the training cycle, increasing intake on high-volume or high-intensity days.
Health Risks of the Carnivore Diet
Going to a meat-based diet can bring side effects that negatively affect your health.
- Heart Disease: The carnivore diet is high in saturated fats that can raise your “bad cholesterol” (LDL) levels and put you at higher risk for heart disease.
- Cancer: Eating large amounts of red meat has been linked to increased risk for colorectal cancer, which can be divided into colon cancer and rectal cancer, as well as several other types of cancer.
- Digestive Problems: Meat takes longer to digest, and slowing down that process can lead to constipation. Plus, the carnivore diet lacks fiber to help keep things moving along.
- Muscle Cramps: The lack of key nutrients in a meat-based diet can lead to electrolyte imbalances that cause muscle cramps, as well as dizziness, fatigue, and general weakness.
- Kidney Function: Eating a diet high in animal protein can place added stress on your kidneys, which may affect their long-term filtering function. Eating more meat also may contribute to kidney stone formation.
Is the Carnivore Diet Worth Trying?
Registered dietitians generally do not recommend the carnivore diet due to its restrictive nature and potential for nutrient deficiencies and health risks. It is recommended to eating in a way that maximizes the benefits of different food groups. Focus on filling your plate with a range of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, grains and lean meats.
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