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Max German

TL;DR

Current evidence suggests elevated HbA1c in carnivore dieters does not indicate diabetes but may reflect longer red blood cell lifespan and improved health.

We checked the science

our breakdown of the video

10 claims, each mapped to its moment in the video

Type 2 diabetes means your blood sugar stays too high over time, and doctors check this with two tests: one after you've fasted and another called HbA1c that shows how much sugar has been sticking to your red blood cells over the past few months.

Mostly correlational — new studies might invalidate this point, but it is a good starting point.

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HbA1c shows how much sugar has been sticking to your blood cells over the past few months — it's like a long-term blood sugar report card.

Currently no sufficient evidence — take with caution.

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If your red blood cells live longer or shorter than average, your A1C test might not give a true picture of your average blood sugar levels.

Strong evidence from clinical studies backs this claim.

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If your red blood cells live longer, they soak up more sugar over time, which can make your HbA1c blood test go up — even if your average blood sugar hasn't actually changed.

Strong evidence from clinical studies backs this claim.

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Eating only animal foods might reduce body-wide inflammation, keep blood sugar steady, and give you lots of important nutrients—all of which could help your metabolism work better.

Weak evidence (< 20) — treat this as an indication, not something to take on faith.

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Your body can make all the sugar it needs, even when you're doing intense exercise like marathon training, so you don’t actually have to eat carbs to stay healthy.

Currently no sufficient evidence — take with caution.

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If your body is healthier and your red blood cells live longer, your HbA1c blood sugar test might show higher levels — not because your blood sugar is high, but because the sugar has more time to stick to older red blood cells.

Currently no sufficient evidence — take with caution.

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Eating only animal-based foods might help reverse type 2 diabetes for some people, leading to better blood sugar control instead of making it worse.

Currently no sufficient evidence — take with caution.

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Eating a lot of saturated fat might make your body less responsive to insulin and cause fat to build up in your liver. If you also eat a lot of protein, it could push your body to make more sugar, which might raise your blood sugar—especially if you're prone to it.

Evidence contradicts this claim.

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Doing really intense endurance workouts might raise your blood sugar levels and make it look like you have diabetes, even if your body is actually super healthy.

Weak evidence (< 20) — treat this as an indication, not something to take on faith.

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Key Takeaways

  1. 1Problem: Some people think the carnivore diet causes diabetes because certain blood tests like HBA1C appear high in those who follow it.
  2. 2Core methods: Understanding how HBA1C works, recognizing the difference between glycation and glycosylation, and knowing how red blood cell lifespan affects test results.
  3. 3How methods work: HBA1C measures sugar damage to red blood cells over their life. Healthier people have longer-lived red blood cells, so more sugar sticks over time—even if blood sugar is normal. This makes HBA1C look high without actual diabetes. Glycation is random sugar sticking; glycosylation is a controlled body process—they’re not the same.
  4. 4Expected outcomes: People on the carnivore diet usually have normal fasting glucose and improved metabolic health, not diabetes. Some lab values may look concerning but are misleading due to better health.
  5. 5Implementation timeframe: [Not specified in transcript]

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