Health
‘The carnivore diet saved my life after decades of anorexia'
After suffering from a lifelong eating disorder that almost killed her, an Ohio woman says switching to a carnivore diet saved her life.
Valerie Smith, 54, struggled for decades with multiple physical and mental health conditions, including anorexia.
At one point, Smith, who is 5’9″, was down to 70 pounds and a BMI of 11. She was hospitalized and kept alive by feeding tubes several times, she told Fox News Digital.
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In 2017, after following a strict plant-based diet for most of her life, she slowly began transitioning to an animal-based ketogenic diet, which she credits for healing her mind and body.
At one point, Smith (pictured here), who is 5’9″, was down to 70 pounds and a BMI of 11. She says switching to a carnivore diet saved her life. (Valerie Smith)
Prior to switching to animal foods, Smith tried a myriad of other treatments for her anorexia and other disorders.
“I was actively in treatment for my entire life,” she said during an interview. “I was seen by hospitals and medical doctors. I had over a dozen psychiatrists. I was on a cocktail of different psychotic medications over the course of three or four decades.”
“I spent a lifetime under traditional treatment and never got better.”
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The hospitals recommended a plant-based diet “devoid of any animal protein,” Smith said. She stuck with their meal plans, but struggled to maintain a healthy weight and suffered digestive issues.
By the time Smith was 47, she was back down to 70 pounds, enduring fractures due to osteoporosis, and had undergone several surgeries for multiple organ prolapse. Her mental health was also at an all-time low.
“I was not going to survive another year,” she said. “I desperately needed to gain weight, but the mental illness was stopping me from gaining anything permanently.”
“I spent a lifetime under traditional treatment and never got better.”
“And I also knew that even if I weighed more, it was not going to help my brain, because I had experienced that many times in those decades.”
While doing research, Smith discovered some metabolic psychiatrists and learned about the benefits of the ketogenic diet.
“I learned that animal foods and animal fats are a priority in the brain,” she said.
Valerie Smith poses for photos after reaching a healthy weight on the ketogenic diet, following 35 years of not consuming any animal foods. (Valerie Smith)
“There are more than 100 neurotransmitters in our brain, and most of them rely on the amino acid profile that’s in complete animal proteins,” Smith went on. “Our brain is not going to function correctly if we don’t have the building blocks of animal products.”
After 35 years of not consuming any animal foods, she decided to experiment with adding them back into her diet.
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Smith started slowly, with just one bite of meat per day. Each week, she added another bite. It took her eight weeks to get up to eating 8 ounces of meat.
At the three-month mark, she began seeing improvements — not necessarily in her weight, but in her mental health.
“My depression and anxiety were lifting,” Smith said. “At that point, I had not gained any weight yet, so it was not weight gain that healed my brain — it was the ketogenic diet.”
As the months went on, Smith continued to look and feel healthier. After a year, she said, all anorexia symptoms were gone. (Fox News)
As the months went on, Smith continued to look and feel healthier. After a year, she said, all anorexia symptoms were gone.
“Even my body dysmorphia was gone — and I had no drive to starve whatsoever,” she said. “All the obsessive thoughts, the negative self-talk, the brain dysfunction — it was completely gone.”
“I was not fighting against myself anymore. It was effortless.”
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Today, Smith consumes between 2 and 3 pounds of meat each day — primarily red meat — as well as eggs. She also occasionally eats chicken, pork and wild-caught fish.
Since starting her animal foods diet, Smith has gained 50 pounds of muscle. In eight years, she said she has not experienced any of the health issues that have plagued her for decades.
“For me, this is about healing — and I feel that the ultimate healing for body and mind is with animal products in the diet.”
Doctor voices support
Dr. Georgia Ede, a Harvard-trained, board-certified psychiatrist specializing in nutritional and metabolic psychiatry, has often spoken about her support of the carnivore diet.
“In my clinical work, I have found well-formulated carnivore diets to be very helpful in stubborn cases of overeating disorders, such as binge-eating and food obsession,” she told Fox News Digital.
Since starting her animal foods diet, Smith has gained 50 pounds of muscle. In eight years, she said she has not experienced any of the health issues that plagued her for decades. (Valerie Smith)
“Some patients have reported relief from ‘food noise’ and a welcome sense of satiety, often for the first time in years.”
Research has suggested that carnivore diets may be “exceptionally useful” in treating the severe malnourishment of anorexia, Ede said.
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“Meat contains all the nutrients we need, in their most bioavailable forms, and without the antinutrients and defensive toxins naturally found in plant foods,” she went on.
“Medically supervised clinical trials are needed to help us understand better the potential risks and benefits of carnivore diets in the management of anorexia.”
Research has suggested that carnivore diets may be “exceptionally useful” in treating the severe malnourishment of anorexia, one doctor said. (Valerie Smith)
Nick Norwitz, a Harvard medical student and researcher, recently completed a case study on three people who overcame eating disorders using the ketogenic diet.
He also recently released a video in which he debunked eight myths surrounding the carnivore diet. (See the video at the top of this article, and more videos at https://www.youtube.com/@nicknorwitzPhD.)
There is no “one size fits all” dietary solution, Norwitz said, adding that “context and nuance are essential.”
“However, I do feel the carnivore diet is misunderstood, and that red meat and animal-based foods often get unfairly scapegoated and thrown under the ‘big food bus,’” he told Fox News Digital.
Experts call for caution, more research
Margot Rittenhouse, a licensed professional clinical counselor with Alsana in California, said it is “absolutely critical” that any diets or modalities used to treat eating disorders are backed by “extensive and consistent research.”
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“While some research indicates that a ketogenic carnivore diet may be beneficial in treating anorexia nervosa, there is not a preponderance of evidentiary proof to indicate that this could currently be used as a viable treatment option,” she told Fox News Digital.
“There is little to no evidence to support that one can receive all the vitamins and nutrients required to sustain the body through a ketogenic diet,” which aims to eliminate most or all plant-based foods and carbohydrates, according to Rittenhouse.
Experts agree that those suffering from disordered eating should not attempt to treat the condition without professional help. (iStock)
Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, who practices as The Lupus Dietitian, said she does not recommend the carnivore diet as a means of treating disordered eating.
“Nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, fruits and vegetables are an important part of a balanced diet and provide a multitude of important nutrients,” Freirich told Fox News Digital. “For optimal health, you also need the wide variety of vitamins and minerals found in other food groups, as well as fiber and carbohydrates.”
“Dieting in general, but especially with such a restrictive diet as the carnivore diet, is a factor that increases the risk of developing disordered eating,” she added.
Rittenhouse also cautioned against adopting any type of restrictive diet, which has been shown to create “harmful relationships to food.”
“Some patients have reported relief from ‘food noise’ and a welcome sense of satiety, often for the first time in years.” (iStock)
“Eating only animal proteins is not a complete diet by any means, as one would be consuming nearly exclusively saturated fats and protein,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Experts agree that those suffering from disordered eating should not attempt to treat the condition without professional help.
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Rittenhouse recommends seeking support from a multi-disciplinary team that includes an eating disorder-informed dietitian, therapist, psychiatrist and doctor.
“These mental illnesses are complex, bio-psychosocial disorders and cannot be treated by only one provider or discipline alone,” she said.
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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