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The gut microbiome of the carnivore was dominated by the phylum Firmicutes and the genera Faecalibacterium, Blautia, unspecific Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroides, and Roseburia—bacteria known for fiber degradation. Furthermore, neither alpha- nor beta-diversity, nor the functional capacity of the gut microbiome, showed differences when compared to the control groups. Additionally, the gut microbiome of the carnivore showed the least similarities with the microbiome of the cohort consuming meat on a daily basis.

In our study, we showcase the compositional and functional characteristics of the gut microbiome in an individual on a carnivorous diet, finding no differences in comparison to a control cohort. Further research is needed to investigate the short- and long-term impacts of a carnivorous diet on gut health through cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.

Full Paper - https://doi.org/10.1530/MAH-24-0006

We reviewed data on the American diet from 1800 to 2019. Methods: We examined food availability and estimated consumption data from 1800 to 2019 using historical sources from the federal government and additional public data sources. Results: Processed and ultra-processed foods increased from <5 to >60% of foods. Large increases occurred for sugar, white and whole wheat flour, rice, poultry, eggs, vegetable oils, dairy products, and fresh vegetables. Saturated fats from animal sources declined while polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils rose. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) rose over the twentieth century in parallel with increased consumption of processed foods, including sugar, refined flour and rice, and vegetable oils. Saturated fats from animal sources were inversely correlated with the prevalence of NCDs. Conclusions: As observed from the food availability data, processed and ultra-processed foods dramatically increased over the past two centuries, especially sugar, white flour, white rice, vegetable oils, and ready-to-eat meals. These changes paralleled the rising incidence of NCDs, while animal fat consumption was inversely correlated.

Annual total caloric and macronutrient availability per capita from 1909 to 2010 (Source: USDA ERS).

Full Paper - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.748847

Characterizing the potential health effects of exposure to risk factors such as red meat consumption is essential to inform health policy and practice. Previous meta-analyses evaluating the effects of red meat intake have generated mixed findings and do not formally assess evidence strength. Here, we conducted a systematic review and implemented a meta-regression— relaxing conventional log-linearity assumptions and incorporating between-study heterogeneity—to evaluate the relation-ships between unprocessed red meat consumption and six potential health outcomes. We found weak evidence of association between unprocessed red meat consumption and colorectal cancer, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease. Moreover, we found no evidence of an association between unprocessed red meat and ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke. We also found that while risk for the six outcomes in our analysis combined was minimized at 0 g unprocessed red meat intake per day, the 95% uncertainty interval that incorporated between-study heterogeneity was very wide: from 0–200 g d−1. While there is some evidence that eating unprocessed red meat is associated with increased risk of disease incidence and mortality, it is weak and insufficient to make stronger or more conclusive recommendations. More rigorous, well-powered research is needed to better understand and quantify the relationship between consumption of unprocessed red meat and chronic disease.

Full Paper - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01968-z

This is a interesting study of two geographically near tribes of people eating a plant based diet vs a animal based diet.

This type of reporting is rare, since the western diet has changed every group of humans it has contacted.

https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1931.02730200061030

Full text: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003510108

This is a contribution to knowledge concerning the relation of diet to physique and to health. The two tribes selected for this investigation were chosen because of the fact that, although their territories were adjoining, their dietary customs were different, "the Akikuyu being almost exclusively vegetarian and the Masai chiefly carnivorous." The field work in this investigation covered such categories as chemical analysis of all foods in common use, articles of diet in the raw state, cooked foods, edible earths, physical examination of both adults and children, and clinical observations. Additional features of this study pertain to laboratory and hospital work dealing with the adequacy of hospital and prison diets, the effect of additions to the diet of various seemingly desirable supplements, feeding tests with prescribed diets on four groups each of forty boys, and blood studies dealing particularly with calcium and phosphorus content, sugar tolerance, ph and alkali reserve,

Originally published in 1930 - The journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-the-academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics_1930-12_6_3/page/216/mode/2up (It's so old, I don't have a direct doi link)

Based on Vilhjalmur Stefansson's reporting of Inuit diets (the wiki is a great read) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhjalmur_Stefansson ; People were incredulous (much like today actually) - So Vilhjalmur and his partner agreed to be kept for a YEAR in medical supervision in a hospital on staten island. This is the study/publication of the results.

TLDR - The pure meat diet worked for a year, under total medical supervision, without any issues, including vitamin levels. Just like it worked for the native Inuit people.

This is a seminal paper, it's about 85 pages, so it's going to take a minute to read. I'll post notes as I get through it.

Meat intake has been linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and mortality. However, diet composition may affect the risks. We aimed to estimate associations between red and processed meat and poultry intake and risk of CRC and all-cause mortality and if they are modified by dietary quality using Cox regression analyses. Baseline dietary data were obtained from three survey rounds of the Danish National Survey on Diet and Physical Activity. Data on CRC and all-cause mortality were extracted from national registers. The cohort was followed from date of survey interview—or for CRC, from age 50 years, whichever came last, until 31 December 2017. Meat intake was analysed categorically and continuously, and stratified by dietary quality for 15–75-year-old Danes at baseline, n 6282 for CRC and n 9848 for mortality analyses. We found no significant association between red and processed meat intake and CRC risk. For poultry, increased CRC risk for high versus low intake (HR 1.62; 95%CI 1.13–2.31) was found, but not when examining risk change per 100 g increased intake. We showed no association between meat intake and all-cause mortality. The association between meat intake and CRC or mortality risk was not modified by dietary quality.

Full Paper - https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010032

https://doi.org/10.1097/med.0000000000000576

A survey of literature and review of the knowledge on nutritional adequacy of the "carnivore" diet.

Purpose of review: The aim of this study was to summarize current contributions affecting knowledge and predictions about the nutritional adequacy of plant-free diets, contextualized by historical accounts.

Recent findings: As demonstrated in recent experiments, nutrient interactions and metabolic effects of ketogenic diets can impact nutritional needs, sometimes resulting in nutrient-sparing effects. Other studies highlight conflicting hypotheses about the expected effect on metabolic acidosis, and therefore mineral status, of adding alkaline mineral-rich vegetables.

Summary: A carnivore diet is a newly popular, but as yet sparsely studied form of ketogenic diet in which plant foods are eliminated such that all, or almost all, nutrition derives from animal sourced foods. Ketogenic diets are already nutritionally controversial due to their near-complete absence of carbohydrate and high dietary fat content, but most ketogenic diet advocates emphasize the inclusion of plant foods. In this review, we discuss the implications of relying solely on animal sourced foods in terms of essential nutrient status.

Key Points

• All essential nutrients can be found in animal sourced foods.
• Some such nutrients are not commonly eaten in high enough amounts to meet recommended intakes.
• Studies on individuals eating only meat did not reveal nutrient deficiencies.
• Carnivore diet nutrient profiles and effects on metabolism may reduce or increase the needs for some nutrients.
• More study is warranted to understand long term implications of plant-free diets

CONCLUSION Every essential nutrient can be found in ASFs, but not always in high levels in commonly eaten ones. Some nutrients are rarer than others and may require planning if the goal is to guarantee meeting established recommended daily allowances. Because of systematic differences in metabolism and food matrix contexts, requirements on a carnivore diet may likewise differ systematically. Historical and clinical data suggest that all acute micronutrient needs can be met without plants, but long-term consequences are unknown. Calcium levels in particular may be compromised over time, and merit further study, especially in order to disentangle effects of acidity, bone growth stimulation and interacting nutrients

Full PDF Here

TLDR: Eggs are good for you, in a study of 9000 70+ adults in AU over a 6 year follow-up study on egg consumption we see a benefit in all cause mortality. 30% less CV risk, 20% less all cause mortality.

Background/Objectives: Egg consumption in adults has been linked with a modestly increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality. However, evidence on adults aged 65 y+ is limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between egg intake and mortality in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 8756 adults aged 70+ years, participants in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) Longitudinal Study of Older Persons, self-reported the frequency of their total egg intake: never/infrequently (rarely/never, 1–2 times/month), weekly (1–6 times/week), and daily (daily/several times per day). All-cause and cause-specific (cardiovascular disease [CVD] and cancer) mortality was established from at least two sources: medical records, death notices, next of kin, or death registry linkage. The association between egg intake and mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, adjusted for socio-demographic, health-related, and clinical factors and overall dietary quality. Results: Over the median 5.9-year follow-up period, a total of 1034 all-cause deaths (11.8%) were documented. A 29% lower risk of CVD mortality (HR (95% CI): 0.71 [0.54–0.92]) and a 17% (HR (95% CI): 0.83 [0.71–0.96]) lower risk of all-cause mortality were observed among those who consumed eggs weekly, compared to those who consumed eggs never/infrequently; no statistically significant association was observed for weekly consumption and cancer mortality. In contrast, compared to those that never or infrequently consumed eggs, daily consumption had slightly higher odds of mortality, though these results did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: The consumption of eggs 1–6 times per week was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and CVD mortality in community-dwelling adults aged 70 years and over. These findings may be important to inform the development of evidence-based guidelines for egg consumption.

Full Paper https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17020323

TLDR - Contrary to common expectations, adults consuming a carnivore diet experienced few adverse effects and instead reported health benefits and high satisfaction. Cardiovascular disease risk factors were variably affected. The generalizability of these findings and the long-term effects of this dietary pattern require further study.

Background: The “carnivore diet,” based on animal foods and excluding most or all plant foods, has attracted recent popular attention. However, little is known about the health effects and tolerability of this diet, and concerns for nutrient deficiencies and cardiovascular disease risk have been raised.

Objectives: We obtained descriptive data on the nutritional practices and health status of a large group of carnivore diet consumers.

Methods: A social media survey was conducted 30 March–24 June, 2020 among adults self-identifying as consuming a carnivore diet for ≥6 mo. Survey questions interrogated motivation, dietary intake patterns, symptoms suggestive of nutritional deficiencies or other adverse effects, satisfaction, prior and current health conditions, anthropometrics, and laboratory data.

Results: A total of 2029 respondents (median age: 44 y, 67% male) reported consuming a carnivore diet for 14 mo (IQR: 9–20 mo), motivated primarily by health reasons (93%). Red meat consumption was reported as daily or more often by 85%. Under 10% reported consuming vegetables, fruits, or grains more often than monthly, and 37% denied vitamin supplement use. Prevalence of adverse symptoms was low (<1% to 5.5%). Symptoms included gastrointestinal (3.1%–5.5%), muscular (0.3%–4.0%), and dermatologic (0.1%–1.9%). Participants reported high levels of satisfaction and improvements in overall health (95%), well-being (66%–91%), various medical conditions (48%–98%), and median [IQR] BMI (in kg/m 2 ) (from 27.2 [23.5–31.9] to 24.3 [22.1–27.0]). Among a subset reporting current lipids, LDL-cholesterol was markedly elevated (172 mg/dL), whereas HDL-cholesterol (68 mg/dL) and triglycerides (68 mg/dL) were optimal. Participants with diabetes reported benefits including reductions in median [IQR] BMI (4.3 [1.4–7.2]), glycated hemoglobin (0.4% [0%–1.7%]), and diabetes medication use (84%–100%)

From the journal of Current Developments in Nutrition.

• Full text at above link

https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab133

TLDR - Meat is good for you

The association between a plant-based diet (vegetarianism) and extended life span is increasingly criticised since it may be based on the lack of representative data and insufficient removal of confounders such as lifestyles.

We examined the association between meat intake and life expectancy at a population level based on ecological data published by the United Nations agencies.

Population-specific data were obtained from 175 countries/territories. Scatter plots, bivariate, partial correlation and linear regression models were used with SPSS 25 to explore and compare the correlations between newborn life expectancy (e(0)), life expectancy at 5 years of life (e(5)) and intakes of meat, and carbohydrate crops, respectively. The established risk factors to life expectancy – caloric intake, urbanization, obesity and education levels – were included as the potential confounders.

Worldwide, bivariate correlation analyses revealed that meat intake is positively correlated with life expectancies. This relationship remained significant when influences of caloric intake, urbanization, obesity, education and carbohydrate crops were statistically controlled. Stepwise linear regression selected meat intake, not carbohydrate crops, as one of the significant predictors of life expectancy. In contrast, carbohydrate crops showed weak and negative correlation with life expectancy.

If meat intake is not incorporated into nutrition science for predicting human life expectancy, results could prove inaccurate.

Full Paper - https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S333004

https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/137.4.1119

A randomized, controlled school feeding study was conducted in rural Embu District, Kenya to test for a causal link between animal-source food intake and changes in micronutrient nutrition and growth, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes. Twelve primary schools were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups. Children in Standard I classes received the local plant-based dish githeri as a midmorning school snack supplemented with meat, milk, or fat added to equalize energy content in all feedings. The Control children received no feedings but participated in data collection. Main outcome measures assessed at baseline and longitudinally were 24-h food intake recall, anthropometry, cognitive function, physical activity, and behaviors during school free play. For cognitive function, the Meat group showed the steepest rate of increase on Raven's Progressive Matrices scores and in zone-wide school end-term total and arithmetic test scores. The Plain githeri and Meat groups performed better over time than the Milk and Control groups (P < 0.02-0.03) on arithmetic tests. The Meat group showed the greatest increase in percentage time in high levels of physical activity and in initiative and leadership behaviors compared with all other groups. For growth, in the Milk group only younger and stunted children showed a greater rate of gain in height. The Meat group showed near doubling of upper midarm muscle area, and the Milk group a smaller degree of increase. This is the first randomized, controlled feeding study to examine the effect of meat- vs. milk- vs. plant-based snacks on functional outcomes in children.

Full paper at the above link

A compendium of ancestral wisdom, Weston Price's Nutrition and Physical Degeneration is considered a masterpiece by many nutrition researchers who followed in his footsteps.Weston Price, a dentist with interest in nutrition and health, travelled extensively, and observed the dietary habits of diverse cultures, including the Lötschental in Switzerland, Native Americans, Polynesians, Pygmies, and Australian Aboriginals, among many others. His extensive research materials include some 15,000 photographs, 4,000 slides, and many filmstrips. He observed that various diseases endemic to Western cultures of the 1920s and 1930s were rarely present in non-Western cultures, and that as non-Western groups abandoned indigenous diets and adopted Western patterns of living, they showed increases in typical Western diseases. He concluded that Western methods of commercially preparing and storing foods stripped away vitamins and minerals necessary to prevent these diseases.Initially, the medical and scientific communities vigorously rejected this controversial work as lacking scientific precision, nevertheless, as time went on, research has confirmed his observations and modern medical orthodoxy is slowly accepting that lifestyle and diet are a major factor, perhaps the major factor, in the degenerative diseases that plague the developed world. Many have credited this book with greatly improving their health.

Full Book https://healthwyze.org/archive/nutrition_and_physical_degeneration_doctor_weston_a_price.pdf

Written by Weston Price: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weston_A._Price

a Canadian dentist known primarily for his theories on the relationship between nutrition, dental health, and physical health. He founded the research institute National Dental Association, which became the research section of the American Dental Association, and was the NDA's chairman from 1914 to 1928.