The Study
Subjective Experiences and Blood Parameter Changes in Individuals From Germany Following a Self-Conceived “Carnivore Diet”: An Explorative Study
This study is like asking a small group of people at a meat-eating event how they feel and checking their blood tests. It can tell us what this group says and what their blood shows, but it can't prove that the diet caused any changes because there's no comparison group and people chose to be in the study.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
A small study looked at 24 people in Germany who eat only meat and animal foods to see how it affects their health and blood tests.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 527 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1High cholesterol is a risk for heart disease, so the rise is concerning.
- 2But some people with poor metabolic health saw improvements, suggesting mixed effects.
- 3After being on the meat-only diet, average cholesterol went up from 224 to 305.
- 4LDL (bad cholesterol) went up from 157 to 256.
- 5But 2 people with high blood sugar and 6 with high triglycerides got better.
- 6Most people said they felt healthier.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Cureus
Year
2025
Authors
R. Klement, Johanna S Matzat
Related Content
Claims (10)
Burning fat for fuel helps keep your energy steady and your blood sugar from spiking and crashing, unlike when your body runs on carbs.
Eating only animal products might help people with slightly high blood sugar get it under better control, based on lower HbA1c levels seen in some people.
Most people in a small group of German meat-eaters started the carnivore diet because they had health problems, and they kept it up because they felt healthier — suggesting this diet tends to attract people who already have medical issues.
People in Germany who ate only meat for about a year saw their bad cholesterol and overall cholesterol go up a lot, according to one small study.
Most people in a small group of German adults eating only meat said their diet was keto, and they ate a lot of meat every day—plus organ meats, eggs, and some dairy—making it a diet full of animal-based foods.
Some people in Germany who ate only meat saw their blood sugar and fat levels get better, especially if they started with high levels — but not everyone improved, and the group as a whole didn’t change enough to be sure it wasn’t just chance.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.