The carnivore diet drives weight loss by cutting off sugar and processed carbohydrates. That puts the body into ketosis, so it burns fat for fuel. It lowers cancer risk indirectly, through less obesity, lower insulin and glucose, and less chronic inflammation. Obesity is the biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking.
Does Meat Really Heal? Many anecdotal reports (personal stories) claim the carnivore diet has helped people. The diet is basically meat only, usually red fatty meat. The reports say it has eased the symptoms of autoimmune disease and depression, caused weight loss and improved health. But is there any scientific evidence behind these claims? Here we look at some of this diet’s effects on some conditions.
- Does the carnivore diet help you lose weight?
On the carnivore diet, your intake of processed carbohydrates and sugar is cut off completely. These simple sugars are the leading cause of weight gain. Without these carbohydrates, your body burns fat for fuel in a process called ketosis. This results in weight loss and gets rid of obesity. Obesity is a leading cause of chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease and fatty liver disease, among others.
- What effect does the carnivore diet have on autoimmune diseases?
Studies have shown that eating too many sugary foods and processed carbohydrates raises inflammation levels throughout the body. That can increase the risk for cancer and autoimmune diseases. So in theory, cutting out sugar with the meat diet can lower inflammation levels in the body.
But does the meat diet directly lower inflammation in the body? The carnivore diet sends the body into a metabolic state called ‘ketosis.’ In ketosis, the body burns fat for energy instead of glucose. Burning glucose makes large amounts of free oxygen radicals (harmful oxygen molecules), which add to inflammation. Ketosis has been shown to make far fewer free radicals.
In fact, studies have shown that ketosis lowers inflammation and reactive radicals in animal models of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune condition that affects the brain. It also lowers markers of liver inflammation in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The ketogenic diet has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects by directly blocking pro-inflammatory immune pathways in the body. So it is assumed that the carnivore diet does the same, though scientific tests have not been done. With this in mind, we can conclude that the carnivore diet can in fact guard against inflammation and ease symptoms of autoimmune disease.
- Can the carnivore diet lower your cancer risk?
Not enough studies have been done on the carnivore diet. But emerging evidence suggests that the ketogenic diet may lower the risk of cancer through its anti-inflammatory effects. Because the two diets basically work the same way, the same can be said of the carnivore diet. Carcinogenesis (the development of cancer) has been tied to hyperinsulinemia (high insulin), hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), and chronic inflammation. The ketogenic diet is thought to lower cancer risk in two ways. It lowers insulin and glucose levels in the body, and it lowers inflammation throughout the body.
At first, it was thought that cancer cells use a lot of glucose for energy. So starving them of glucose would stop their growth. Sadly, this theory was disproved, because normal cells need energy too, and there is no way to starve the cancer cells and feed the normal ones.
However, there is an indirect link between cancer risk and sugar. Eating lots of sugar over time can make you gain weight. Scientific evidence shows that being overweight or obese increases the risk of 13 different types of cancer. In fact, obesity is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking. So the carnivore diet can lower the risk of obesity, and with it the risk of cancer.
In addition, a study published in 2019 suggested there could be something else going on. Researchers found that people who drank more sugary drinks had a slightly increased risk of cancer, whatever their body weight. The study took weight into account, but there are still lots of open questions. More studies will be needed to look into this.
But what about the studies that show a correlation between red meat and cancer? There is one major flaw in how these studies are read. These studies are epidemiologic (they look for patterns in large groups). This means they cannot show cause and effect. In other words, a correlation between eating meat and cancer does not mean that eating meat itself causes cancer.
- Is the carnivore diet good for your brain?
There is limited evidence on how the carnivore diet itself protects the brain. But there is much evidence that the keto diet does. And the carnivore diet is a lot like keto. Data suggests that the ketogenic diet has anti-inflammatory effects on the brain and holds neuro-protective (brain-protecting) benefits.
The ketogenic diet was first designed to help children with seizures. Studies show that as many as half of patients who start the diet have fewer seizures after. In children with specific genetic epilepsies or epilepsy syndromes, studies have shown up to 90% of patients become seizure-free on the ketogenic diet.
Inflammation is thought to play an important role in epilepsy and seizures. Because of that, the ketogenic diet, and therefore the carnivore diet, may lower how often seizures happen through its anti-inflammatory effects. The ketogenic diet fights inflammation in two ways. It cuts mitochondrial production of pro-inflammatory molecules. It also cuts production of excess glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, which can cause neuronal damage (a.k.a. “glutamate excitotoxicity”).
Inflammation is thought to play a role in other neurological (brain and nerve) diseases too. One is autism, which is more and more associated with inflammation in the mother. Others are Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Another is cognitive dysfunction (thinking problems) in people with diabetes and obesity. So lowering inflammation, potentially through the carnivore diet, may ease symptoms of neurological dysfunction associated with inflammation.
- What is the effect of the carnivore diet on depression?
Anecdotal reports show the carnivore diet has neurological and psychological effects. They go beyond treating seizures and chronic pain. Several people on the diet report more alertness, energy, better mood and focus.
Also, inflammation can feed depression, and depression itself can feed inflammation. The ketogenic diet may lift mood and ease depression symptoms because it calms inflammation.
- Is the carnivore diet healthy?
It is clear that the carnivore diet has marked positive effects on the conditions we set out to explore. This is mainly because it cuts off sugars and carbohydrates. It can be said that going on a carnivore diet is likely to bring better health outcomes.
It is important to note that there is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to diet. Every person has a different body, genetics, digestive system and immune system. All of these play a role in how the body reacts to food. However, one “take home” is that everyone should cut down on sugar and processed carbohydrates. That is because these are known to cause weight gain, pro-inflammatory states, and health problems.
Frequently asked questions
Does red meat cause cancer?
The studies that tie red meat to cancer are epidemiologic. They show a correlation between eating meat and cancer, and a correlation cannot prove cause. Those studies do not show that meat itself causes cancer. The drivers of cancer this page points to are obesity, high insulin, high blood sugar and chronic inflammation. The carnivore diet works to lower all of them.
Does sugar feed cancer?
Not directly. The old idea that you could starve cancer cells of glucose did not hold up, because normal cells need that energy too. The link is indirect. Eating lots of sugar over time drives weight gain, and being overweight or obese raises the risk of 13 different types of cancer. Obesity is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking.
Can the carnivore diet reduce inflammation?
Yes. Cutting out sugar and processed carbohydrates removes a major source of inflammation. The diet also puts the body into ketosis. Burning fat for fuel makes far fewer free radicals than burning glucose. Ketosis has lowered inflammation in animal models of multiple sclerosis. It has also lowered liver inflammation markers in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Can the carnivore diet help with depression?
People on the carnivore diet report more alertness, energy, better mood and sharper concentration. The likely reason is inflammation. Inflammation can contribute to depression, and depression can promote inflammation in turn. By lowering inflammation, a ketogenic way of eating may lift mood and ease depression symptoms.
Related reading
- Type 2 Diabetes and the Carnivore Diet
- How Effective Is the Carnivore Diet for Obesity?
- Chronic Inflammation and Cancer Risk
- Keto vs Carnivore Diet
- Sugar and Cancer: Is There a Link?
References:
- Neurogal (2018): Does Meat Really Heal? Show me the Evidence for the Carnivore Diet. Retrieved from https://neurogal.com/neuro-blog/2018/12/7/does-meat-really-heal-show-me-the-evidence-for-the-carnivore-diet
- Cancer Research UK (2017): Sugar and cancer – what you need to know. Retrieved from https://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2017/05/15/sugar-and-cancer-what-you-need-to-know/
- The BMJ (2019): Sugary drink consumption and risk of cancer: results from NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort. Retrieved from https://www.bmj.com/content/366/bmj.l2408
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Interventional pain physician, addiction medicine specialist and obesity medicine diplomate.
Licensed in Missouri and Illinois.
Last reviewed June 18, 2026
