The carnivore diet is a low-carb, high-protein elimination diet. On the carnivore diet, you stay away from anything that isn’t animal-based. You only eat animal-based products, meat, and organ meats. There are various benefits of the carnivore diet and it is the right choice for many people.
Our ancestors before us were carnivores — it is the natural way of eating. Among the several benefits is that the carnivore diet reduces inflammation. There are several studies that indicate being on a low-carb diet such as the carnivore diet can reduce inflammation in your body.
Your body’s natural response to any internal threat is inflammation. However, when your body is constantly inflamed, it becomes a problem — which is termed chronic inflammation. When we stay away from healthy, natural foods, and consume a lot of processed food, our body assumes that it is under attack.
To defend itself, it triggers inflammation. When we consume junk food all the time, chronic inflammation leads to diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. The carnivore diet helps to reduce inflammation by adding healthy food to your diet that is anti-inflammatory in nature.
Reduction of Markers of Systemic Inflammation
The carnivore diet reduces the markers of systemic inflammation, such as IL-6 and C-reactive proteins. There are several factors that cause this. Firstly, when you remove the gut irritating plant-based foods that your body is sensitive to, it immediately reduces the inflammation levels in your body.
Plants contain pesticides and anti-nutrients. These anti-nutrients are linked with inflammation, bowel issues, fertility issues, and allergies. Since you stay away from plant-based foods on the carnivore diet, it results in a reduction in inflammation.
Many people are sensitive to certain plants and once you remove them from your diet, it removes low-grade inflammation.
Low Levels of Insulin and Inflammation
Insulin helps in taking glucose from the bloodstream to your cells where it is either stored as fat or used as energy. When you eat foods full of carbs and sugar, your cells become insulin resistant. This insulin resistance increases inflammation, disrupts your hormones, and lays down the foundation for various chronic health issues.
It is scientifically proven that an increase in the levels of insulin causes inflammation. When you go on a low-carb diet such as carnivore, you minimize the blood sugar which reduces the insulin spikes. This has an anti-inflammatory effect on your body.
Moreover, the carnivore diet promotes a healthy gut. This plays an important role in mitigating and reducing inflammation.
Thus, since the carnivore diet reduces inflammation, it is linked to treating depression as well.
Anti-Inflammatory Nature of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
When you are on a carnivore diet, you consume fish. Apart from various healthy nutrients, fish contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory in nature. They not only fight off inflammation but also inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
How the Carnivore Diet Helps Other Health Conditions
Many health issues are caused by inflammation. Read these articles to learn how the carnivore diet can help treat other issues, whether they’re caused by inflammation or not:
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