UNFUCG
DashboardSearchChatBookmarksNotificationsActivityPremiumProfile
?
Home
Search
Chat
Saved
Profile
Episode
“Carnivore causes diabetes” (and the HbA1c sleight of hand) | What the Fitness | Biolayne
~17 min
Episode Brief·YouTube

“Carnivore causes diabetes” (and the HbA1c sleight of hand) | What the Fitness | Biolayne

Layne Norton
Watch on YouTube Add to chat My bookmarks← All sources

TL;DR

The four things you'd lose by not watching

4 items

TL;DR

The four things you'd lose by not watching

4 items
1

Prominent carnivore advocates like Carnivore Cam, Carnivore Ray, and Dr. Kilts now show pre‑diabetic HbA1c, elevated fasting glucose, or a coronary calcium score of 800 — indicating severe cardiovascular risk and prompting them to quietly abandon or modify the diet they built their identities around.

2

The ‘red blood cell lifespan’ defense for high HbA1c on carnivore fails mathematically: even if carnivore extends RBC life by a few weeks, the entire RBC population turns over in ≤5 months, so anyone on the diet for years should have a completely representative HbA1c.

3

A very high‑saturated‑fat, high‑protein carnivore diet can still elevate blood glucose through gluconeogenesis, and saturated fat itself may reduce insulin sensitivity and increase liver fat, undermining the claim that zero carbs makes diabetes impossible.

4

Layne Norton highlights the carnivore community’s pattern of blaming every adverse outcome on ‘oxalate dumping’ or seed oils, discouraging honest safety signals — including heart attacks — and argues that the exit of long‑time influencers is a genuine warning.

What's new

Personal practice updates, fresh positions, predictions

3 items

Carnivore influencers are developing metabolic disease and cardiovascular risk

Multiple high‑profile carnivore figureheads — Carnivore Cam, Carnivore Ray, and Dr. Kilts — have released bloodwork showing pre‑diabetic HbA1c, borderline‑high fasting glucose, or an enormous coronary calcium score (800), and some are now adding plants or stepping back from strict carnivore.

Why this matters: These individuals made carnivore their identity and livelihood; changing their diet signals they are scared by their own objective health data.

Background

In a 2018 debate, Layne Norton noted that carnivore advocate Shawn Baker already had a fasting glucose over 120 mg/dL — type‑2 diabetic territory. Paul Saladino later abandoned pure carnivore, coining ‘animal‑based’ to include fruit and honey. Dr. Kilts, after 15 years of carnivore, disclosed a CAC score of 700 that jumped to 800, placing him at imminent heart‑attack risk according to standard medical interpretation.

Norton uses these cases as a cautionary tale, emphasizing that no one wishes them harm, but the pattern is undeniable. He points out that within the carnivore community, people who report heart attacks or other health crises are often blackballed and told they must have eaten seed oils or are experiencing oxalate dumping. The fact that people who built their entire career on carnivore are now walking away shows how frightening their own lab results must be. He notes that Dr. Kilts also reported acute colitis — inflammation of the colon — which Norton finds unsurprising on a zero‑fiber diet. The broader argument is that the carnivore echo chamber systematically dismisses genuine health warnings.

Personal experience

Norton mentions having an awkward in‑person interaction with Dr. Kilts at a conference years ago, but does not recount personal health issues; he states clearly he does not want anyone to have a heart attack and that the video is a warning for viewers.

Do you realize how sick, how bad you have to be feeling or how scared you have to be to change your identity when you've built your entire livelihood around it?

Also said
“He kind of casually mentions this 800 is enormous. Enormous. And oh, by the way, this doesn't count all the carnivores out there who've actually had heart attacks who have been black ballalled from their own community because as soon as they say, ‘Hey, I was on carnivore and I had a heart attack.’ People say, ‘You must have been eating seed oils or it's oxalate dumping.’ Which they they everything is oxalate dumping. Everything.”— Shows how the community’s default excuse (‘oxalate dumping’) discredits real adverse events and silences dissenters.
“Colitis. Imagine that. Inflammation of the colon, not eating any fiber. Who would have thought it? I I would. I would.”— Highlights that a zero‑fiber carnivore diet can lead to gut inflammation, a predictable outcome dismissed by influencers.

The ‘red blood cell lifespan’ excuse for elevated HbA1c is mathematically impossible for long‑term carnivores

Carnivore defenders claim that lower inflammation on their diet extends red blood cell life, falsely raising HbA1c despite normal glucose; Norton demonstrates that because RBCs fully turn over in ≤5 months, anyone carnivore for years would have a completely representative HbA1c — so the elevated reading is real, not an artifact.

Why this matters: Exposes a core pseudoscientific rationalization used to dismiss pre‑diabetic HbA1c in long‑term carnivores and reveals selective distrust of scientific literature.

Background

In the clip being debunked, a carnivore influencer cites a study on RBC lifespan variability (mainly a one‑month difference between extremes) to imply that Cam’s HbA1c of 5.7% could be an innocent artifact. Cam’s fasting glucose was 93.6 mg/dL, which is normal, so the influencer pivots to saying fasting glucose is the real marker, even though the same camp often criticizes fasting glucose as unreliable.

Norton walks through the physiology: HbA1c reflects glycosylation of hemoglobin over the RBC’s lifespan. Red blood cells completely turn over in 90–120 days; even in the most extreme case, the entire population is replaced within about five months. He grants, for argument’s sake, that healthy RBCs might live two months longer than ‘putrid’ ones, but since Cam and others have been carnivore for years, any RBCs from a pre‑carnivore state have long since disappeared. Moreover, RBCs turn over continuously, so the HbA1c is a running average that would have normalized long ago. Norton also notes the influencer’s hypocrisy of citing cohort data after frequently dismissing epidemiological research as ‘garbage.’ The argument is that the carnivore camp embraces science only when it seems to defend their stance.

If they've been on carnivore longer than 5 months, their HBA1C would have dropped because it'd be completely turned over. And oh, by the way, it's not like all your red blood cells go for a five‑month period and then they all get recycled at the same time. They are consistently being turned over over time.

Also said
“In this cohort, 69% of subjects were within red blood cell lifespan of 93 to 123 days, while 30% had a red blood cell lifespan below 93 days, and two subjects had above 123 days. Okay. So, what we're looking at is the difference of about a month. Over 70% of people, it's a difference of about a month.”— He quotes the very study the influencer cites, showing that the actual lifespan variability is small and cannot explain a chronically elevated HbA1c after years on the diet.
“I thought we just said at the beginning of the video, oh, fasting blood glucose isn't that great of a marker. It's HBA1C. But then when the HBA1C is high, he says, well, it's fasting blood glucose is good. So, which is it?”— Calls out the carnivore advocate’s shifting standard of evidence when the data doesn’t fit the narrative.

High saturated fat carnivore diet can still cause diabetes via gluconeogenesis and insulin resistance

Zero carbohydrate intake does not guarantee low blood glucose; a diet rich in saturated fat and protein can raise endogenous glucose production and reduce insulin sensitivity, potentially leading to type‑2 diabetes in susceptible individuals.

Why this matters: Directly contradicts the carnivore mantra that ‘no carbs = no diabetes’ and provides a physiological explanation for the elevated blood sugar seen in long‑term carnivore practitioners.

Background

Shawn Baker’s fasting glucose was documented to exceed 120 mg/dL years ago, meeting the cutoff for type‑2 diabetes. Other carnivore influencers now show borderline or pre‑diabetic readings. Carnivore advocates typically claim such readings are impossible on a zero‑carb diet.

Norton explains that high intake of saturated fat can increase liver fat content and decrease insulin sensitivity. Simultaneously, a high protein and fat load can ramp up gluconeogenesis — the liver’s production of glucose from amino acids and glycerol. The combination of more endogenous glucose and reduced ability to clear it can, over time, result in chronically elevated blood glucose. He is careful not to demonize protein in general, but states that in the specific context of an extremely high‑fat, high‑protein carnivore pattern, some people will develop metabolic dysfunction. This mechanism explains why many carnivore adherents see their fasting glucose and HbA1c drift upward despite avoiding all carbohydrates.

If you eat high amounts of fat, especially saturated fat, and you're also eating high amounts of protein, what you can have is you ramp up glucanogenesis. Saturated fat has also been shown to decrease insulin sensitivity and increase liver fat. And liver fat is very detrimental to metabolic health.

Also said
“We've seen Sean Baker blood glucose above 120. Just that alone can place you right there in type 2 diabetes.”— Cites a specific example of a leading carnivore proponent already meeting diabetic criteria, supporting the mechanistic argument.

Recommendations

Products, supplements, and tools mentioned in the episode

4 items

Use HbA1c as the primary long‑term marker of glucose exposure, not fasting glucose alone

Practice

Carnivore advocates vacillate between dismissing fasting glucose and then relying on it when HbA1c looks bad; Norton emphasizes that HbA1c is a robust measure because it integrates blood glucose over the red blood cell’s lifespan.

Norton explains that HbA1c reflects glycosylation of hemoglobin and thus captures average 24‑hour glucose levels over 90–120 days, making it far more informative than a single fasting glucose snapshot. He flags the influence of red blood cell lifespan, but notes that for anyone on a stable diet for many months, HbA1c is reliable. He urges viewers not to accept the ‘RBC lifespan’ excuse as a way to dismiss an elevated HbA1c when fasting glucose is normal, because the two tests complement each other and persistent discordance warrants deeper investigation.

vs alternatives

Versus relying only on fasting glucose, which can be normal even when postprandial or average glucose is high; the carnivore influencer in the video initially criticizes fasting glucose but then pivots to it when convenient.

HBA1C is actually a really great and sensitive measure of what's actually going on in terms of your long-term exposure to blood glucose.

Also said
“I thought we just said at the beginning of the video, oh, fasting blood glucose isn't that great of a marker. It's HBA1C. But then when the HBA1C is high, he says, well, it's fasting blood glucose is good. So, which is it?”— Reinforces that one should consistently use HbA1c as the better metric, not switch markers to fit a narrative.
Find Use

Coronary calcium score (CAC) testing for cardiovascular risk assessment

Tool

Dr. Kilts’ CAC score of 800 places him in the severe risk category; Norton reads the standard medical recommendation that a score >400 indicates extensive plaque and requires aggressive management.

Norton highlights that a CAC of 800 is ‘enormous’ and puts someone at imminent risk of a heart attack. He reads verbatim from medical guidance that such a score demands cholesterol‑lowering medications (statins), blood pressure management, and intensive lifestyle changes. While he is not providing individual medical advice, he implicitly endorses that people on extreme diets who are worried about heart health should consider coronary calcium scoring and — if the score is high — take it seriously rather than dismissing it with alternative explanations.

vs alternatives

Instead of relying on subjective feelings of well‑being or basic lipid panels, a CAC score directly visualizes calcified plaque burden, removing the guesswork regarding cardiovascular risk.

A coronary calcium score of 800 is enormous. Enormous. And oh, by the way, this doesn't count all the carnivores out there who've actually had heart attacks who have been black ballalled from their own community.

Also said
“This score falls into the severe category, meaning there is a considerable amount of calcified plaque in the arteries that supply blood to your heart. Your doctor will likely recommend a comprehensive plan that may include cholesterol-lowering medications like statins, blood pressure management, and a focus on healthy lifestyle changes.”— He reads the standard medical guidance to underline that a CAC of 800 is not a borderline result — it demands immediate action.
Find Coronary

Include fiber‑containing plant foods to support gut health and avoid colitis

Practice

Dr. Kilts developed acute colitis on a zero‑fiber carnivore diet; Norton sarcastically remarks that this is exactly what one would expect without fiber.

Norton points out that a lack of dietary fiber has well‑documented consequences for colonic health, yet the carnivore community often labels any gut issue as ‘oxalate dumping’ or a temporary detox. He regards the development of colitis as a predictable outcome of eliminating all plant matter, and frames the episode as another data point that the diet may cause harm rather than healing. While he does not prescribe a specific fiber target, the clear implication is that people should maintain some fiber intake as a protective measure.

vs alternatives

The alternative — a strictly carnivorous, zero‑fiber diet — is associated, in this anecdote, with acute colonic inflammation, contrary to claims that fiber is unnecessary or harmful.

Colitis. Imagine that. Inflammation of the colon, not eating any fiber. Who would have thought it? I I would. I would.

Find Include

Reject ‘oxalate dumping’ as a catch‑all explanation for health problems on carnivore

Practice

The carnivore community routinely blames any negative symptom on oxalate dumping or seed oils; Norton lists absurd examples to illustrate that this is an unfalsifiable excuse that prevents honest evaluation of the diet.

Norton ridicules the narrative that everything from cardiovascular events to everyday life setbacks (a child failing in school, losing a job) is attributed to oxalate dumping. He underscores that this practice silences legitimate reports of harm and discourages people from recognizing real warning signs of metabolic or cardiovascular disease. By making ‘oxalate dumping’ a universal alibi, the community avoids confronting the possibility that the carnivore diet itself is causing harm.

vs alternatives

A rational, evidence‑based approach would evaluate symptoms against plausible mechanisms rather than invoking an unproven, all‑purpose detox phenomenon.

Everything is oxalate dumping. Everything. Everything. Your kid got an F in school. Oxalate dumping. Lost your job. Oxalate dumping. Like anything that goes wrong in these people's lives, it's oxalate dumping.

Find Reject

Notable quotes

Lines worth pulling out — contrarian, specific, or perfectly phrased

5 items
Do you realize how sick, how bad you have to be feeling or how scared you have to be to change your identity when you've built your entire livelihood around it?
Succinctly captures why the exit of carnivore influencers is a powerful warning — they are abandoning their brand and income because their health data frightens them.
Everything is oxalate dumping. Everything. Everything. Your kid got an F in school. Oxalate dumping. Lost your job. Oxalate dumping. Like anything that goes wrong in these people's lives, it's oxalate dumping.
Brutal satire of the carnivore community’s go‑to excuse, illustrating how they dodge accountability and legitimate criticism.
If they've been on carnivore longer than 5 months, their HBA1C would have dropped because it'd be completely turned over. And oh, by the way, it's not like all your red blood cells go for a five‑month period and then they all get recycled at the same time. They are consistently being turned over over time.
The core logical rebuttal that dismantles the RBC‑lifespan excuse with plain math and physiology.
Colitis. Imagine that. Inflammation of the colon, not eating any fiber. Who would have thought it? I I would. I would.
Sarcastic delivery that drives home the obvious link between zero‑fiber carnivore diets and gut inflammation.
I'm out. I'm done with this.
Expresses the sheer intellectual exhaustion with the bad‑faith arguments from carnivore influencers, ending the segment with blunt finality.

Sign in to share feedback

Tell us if this brief hit the mark or missed it — feedback feeds back into the next iteration of the prompt.

Topics covered

carnivore-diethbA1cred-blood-cell-lifespanfasting-glucosetype-2-diabetescoronary-calcium-scorecardiovascular-risksaturated-fatinsulin-resistancegluconeogenesisliver-fatoxalate-dumpingcolitisfibercarnivore-influencersintellectual-honestyidentity-and-healthstatins
Free account

Make this library yours

Reading is free for everyone. A free account adds the personal layer: save protocols, follow experts, and see how the other experts weigh in on this same topic.

Create a free accountSign in

Where the experts disagree — weekly

One email a week: the sharpest new disagreements and protocols from the library. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Educational summary of the cited expert source — not medical advice. Open the source recording linked above and consult a qualified physician before acting on any protocol.