A Florida Man’s Meat, Cheese, and Butter Diet Caused His Hands to Seep out Cholesterol

If you’ve ever wondered why we’re always told to eat in moderation, a recent case study of a Florida man provides a perfect example. The man’s doctors described in detail how his “carnivorous diet” had led him to have such high levels of cholesterol that it was literally leaking out of his body.

Cardiologists at Tampa General Hospital described the strange case in a paper published Wednesday in Jama Cardiology. According to the report, the man is pain-free, but went to the doctor a few weeks after he started developing “yellow nodules” arising from his hands and elbows. As it turned out, his problem was an uncommon but known complication of having high blood cholesterol, likely caused by a man’s diet chock full of meat, cheese and lots of butter.

About eight months before his symptoms appeared, the man, in his 40s, had gone on a so-called carnivore diet. The diet, he told doctors, required him to consume high amounts of fat. He accomplished this by regularly eating a daily hamburger with six to nine pounds of cheese, copious amounts of butter, and even more fat. Remarkably, the man reported weight loss, increased energy and improved mental clarity after starting the diet. But unfortunately, there were some obvious negative consequences.

Doctors found that her blood cholesterol level exceeded 1,000 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), well above the normal range. For context, healthy blood cholesterol is supposed to be less than 200 mg/dL, while high cholesterol starts at 240 mg/dL. Based on the results and his physical symptoms, doctors diagnosed the man with a rare but known condition known as xanthelasma.

Xanthelasmus Cholesterol is deposited under the skin. Normally, excess cholesterol and other fats in our blood are cleaned by white blood cells called macrophages. But when this process is disrupted, these macrophages become “foam cells” that are filled with excess cholesterol; It is these cells that form the deposits that eventually come out of the skin.

Although other medical conditions can cause xanthelasma, such as certain thyroid problems, about half of these cases are associated with high blood cholesterol. The man’s case was particularly unusual, as these deposits usually form around the eyelids — possibly because the blood vessels in that area weaken over time due to constant blinking. But xanthelasmas can theoretically occur anywhere on our body. The condition is fairly rare: there is research approx About 1% of women and 0.3% of men contract xanthelasma.

As gross as they look, xanthelasmas are harmless and can be removed with surgery or other cosmetic procedures. High blood cholesterol, on the other hand, is known to increase the risk of future cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and stroke. Doctors do not detail what happens to their patients after their diagnosis, but they emphasize the need for people to avoid high blood cholesterol.

“This case highlights the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications,” they wrote.