Cholesterol leaks from man's body due to weight loss diet: What went wrong?

In a bizarre incident in Florida, a man had a thick, yellowy substance oozing out of his skin and sought medical help. The doctors at the Tampa hospital, where the 40-year-old man is undergoing treatment, were shocked when they realised the substance leaking out of his body was cholesterol! The man had the fluid coming out from the skin cells on his hands, legs and knees for three weeks. However, he didn’t experience any pain in his body, as per reports. When doctors asked him about his lifestyle and diet habits, he revealed he had been on a 'carnivore diet' for the past eight months to shed body weight! It's a diet that is quite common among many worldwide trying to slim down. However, how did it result in the bizarre phenomenon? 

What is a carnivore diet?
The carnivore diet is a food pattern employed to lose weight swiftly. This diet, which is a form of the Ketogenic diet, mainly focuses on consuming meat, fish, eggs and butter. Carnivore diet prescribes 70 – 75 per cent of calories from fat, 20 per cent protein and less than 20 per cent carbohydrates. It doesn’t include fruits, vegetables or any grains and pulses. Doctors who treated the man in Florida said his daily diet comprised 2.7 kilos of cheese and 4.1 kilos of butter. Meanwhile, the man claimed that he could lose weight and even had a good boost of energy when he followed the diet. However, the doctors noted that the cholesterol level in his body was above 1000 mg, while the healthy range was 200 mg. Even 240 mg of cholesterol is considered unhealthy. The doctors stated that the man had just 210 mg of cholesterol in his body before he started following the carnivore diet.

Meanwhile, the doctors didn’t reveal the treatment protocol that has been followed in this case. They also raised caution against blindly following fad diets to lose or gain weight without proper monitoring. A study by the Harvard Medical School notes that those who follow a carnivore diet for longer periods have a greater risk of kidney stones, gout and deterioration of bone density. Besides, the report also says that high protein intake could cause damage to the kidneys.

A case of xanthelasma
According to Medical News Today, the kind of symptoms experienced by the man is called 'Xanthelasma,' a cholesterol deposit that appears as yellow or orange growth on a person's body. The deposit typically appears around the eyelids but can also be found in other parts of the body. The condition is connected to high levels of low-density lipoprotein or LDL, which ooze out of blood vessels and accumulate under the skin. While the material in itself is harmless, it can result in high cholesterol and limit blood flow to the heart.  While following various diet patterns to quickly lose weight, it's important to do it under the supervision of experienced dieticians and professional fitness trainers to avoid similar health crises.