With processed food consumption reaching all-time highs in the US, attention and resources have shifted to dietary alternatives, including animal-based nutrition plans. In a recent YouTube video, Dr. Layne Norton opened up on some of the hidden dangers behind the carnivore diet.
Dr. Norton wears many hats; he’s made notable contributions to the fitness industry as a coach and model but also tested the waters as a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter. Fueling athletic performance remains one of his highest priorities, and for that reason, he continues to impart wisdom about the best diets to drive results.
The carnivore diet is a restrictive eating plan that consists exclusively of animal-based products, such as meat, fish, dairy, and eggs. Many practitioners have observed positive health benefits including weight loss, reduced inflammation, and mental clarity. In light of the diet’s popularity, Dr. Norton broke down where it falls short.
Dr. Layne Norton Breaks Down the Carnivore Diet and Weighs Its Dangers
According to Dr. Norton, the carnivore diet is more beneficial for health than a standard American diet, which often consists of processed foods.
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“I will give a devil’s advocate argument for it, that any diet that is going to get people to eat less processed foods and more filling satiating foods, is going to be a diet that does better than the standard American diet. I have no doubt that there are people who go on carnivore and they get healthier.”
One drawback of the carnivore diet is the lack of fiber offered by animal-based products, as Norton points out:
“The question really becomes, why did you need to do that? Could you do that and still have some dietary fiber and get the benefits of that? I have had carnivores push back against me.
Well, dietary fiber is just filler, you don’t even absorb it, in fact with carnivores, I don’t even poop as much because I’m absorbing so many more nutrients and blah, blah, blah. I always find these really like Olympic-level mental gymnastics interesting because it’s not like we don’t just have tons of studies in humans looking at this, with actual hard human health outcomes.”
Dr. Norton adds that he supports carnivore-based diets, though has no problem pointing out some of its dangers.
“People on carnivore, it’s so funny, they’ll be like why are you trying to discourage high-quality animal protein consumption? I’m like, sorry not to sound curt, but do you know who I am, have you done any background on me? My research was funded, my lab was funded by the National Dairy Council, the Egg Nutrition Center, and the National Cattleman’s Beef Association.”
Another potential danger of the carnivore diet is red meat being linked with carcinogens known to cause cancers. However, Dr. Norton doesn’t believe the evidence supports that red meat is carcinogenic.
“If anybody has a bias towards high-quality animal protein, it’s me. I’m just not crazy. When we look at say a great example is red meat, even the WHO has categorized red meat as probably carcinogenic.
I don’t necessarily believe it’s carcinogenic based on the research that’s out there and the reason is, a lot of studies don’t show that it’s carcinogenic.”
Oftentimes, people on carnivore diets choose fatty cuts of meat, which could contribute to a rise in LDL cholesterol.
“Red meat intake is actually a good proxy for poor diet quality,” explains Dr. Norton. “A lot of them are choosing very fatty cuts of meat that are high in saturated fat. There is a big debate amongst diatribes about whether saturated fat is bad for you because it raises LDL cholesterol.”
Dr. Norton believes it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of any meal plan.
“I tell carnivores all the time, if red meat had the data that fiber has behind it to support it being a health food, you would all lose your freaking minds anytime anyone even suggested that it might be bad for you. But because it doesn’t align with your personal belief system, you won’t hear a bar of it,” Layne Norton said.
Understanding nutrition has driven Dr. Norton to discuss it at length. He took a closer look at carnivore diets and ketogenic diets, laying out the benefits and drawbacks. Overall, he believes both nutrition plans can help with satiety and weight loss if practiced appropriately.
Carnivore diets have certainly received a lot of attention, with high-profile athletes singing their praise. Dr. Norton acknowledges the benefits of an animal-based diet but remains cautious, unwilling to overlook the potential dangers they entail.
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