Carnivore Diet Leads to Cholesterol Dripping from Hands

Just yesterday we had a mini-tutorial on cholesterol, and now we find out a possible consequence of too much of it, featuring that hapless superhero Florida Man.

As reported in the journal JAMA Cardiology, a man in Florida was on a carnivore diet for eight months. He was eating cheese by the pound, butter by the stick, and hamburgers with added fat. His motivations weren't clear, but he reportedly lost weight and improved his "mental clarity." But when he noticed a painless yellow discharge from his hands, he went to a Tampa hospital. It was cholesterol oozing from his skin! His cholesterol level was more than 1,000 mg/dL (high cholesterol is anything over 240 mg/dL). He was diagnosed with xanthelasma, which is when the body is so overloaded with cholesterol that it, yes, oozes out. Read more details on the case at Ars Technica.

(Image credit:  JAMA Cardiologym 2024, Marmagkiolis et al.)