TABLE 3.
Self-reported prevalence of and changes in chronic conditions and medication usage1
| Prevalence, n (%) | Changes when following diet, % | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic condition | Resolved | Improved | Unchanged | Worsened | New | |
| Obesity/overweight | 928 (46) | 52 | 41 | 5 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Underweight | 100 (5) | 52 | 28 | 14 | 5 | 1 |
| Lipid abnormalities | 429 (21) | 27 | 29 | 18 | 19 | 8 |
| Hypertension | 374 (18) | 61 | 32 | 7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Cardiovascular | 126 (6) | 41 | 43 | 15 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Diabetes/insulin resistance | 402 (20) | 74 | 24 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Gastrointestinal | 531 (26) | 59 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Endocrinologic | 191 (9) | 40 | 48 | 12 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Autoimmune | 369 (18) | 36 | 53 | 11 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Musculoskeletal | 502 (25) | 42 | 54 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Neurological | 89 (4) | 42 | 42 | 16 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Cognitive | 100 (5) | 42 | 54 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Psychiatric | 479 (24) | 48 | 48 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Respiratory | 354 (17) | 51 | 34 | 14 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Urologic | 181 (9) | 76 | 16 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Dermatologic | 690 (34) | 44 | 48 | 7 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Ophthalmologic | 327 (16) | 12 | 36 | 51 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| Hematologic | 127 (6) | 66 | 18 | 14 | 0.0 | 2 |
| Oncologic | 75 (4) | 41 | 12 | 47 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Other | 208 (10) | 42 | 45 | 13 | 0.0 | 1 |
| Diabetes medications | Discontinued | Decreased | Unchanged | Increased | New | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insulin | 29 (1) | 522 | 38 | 3 | 0.0 | 7 |
| Insulin (T2DM only) | 13 (0.6) | 92 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8 |
| Diabetes injectables, other | 16 (0.8) | 100 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Oral diabetes medications | 82 (4) | 84 | 14 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
1
Participants were asked if they had ever suffered from or taken any of the listed conditions or medications. n (%) of positive responses is given in the first column (prevalence) and is the denominator for percentages in the subsequent columns. Positive respondents were then asked to rate the severity of each condition relative to the time before starting the carnivore diet on a 5-point scale. For visualization, response frequencies are color-coded dark gray if ≥70%, and in increasing brightness if 40%–69%, 20%–39%, 10%–19%, 5%–9%, 1%–4%, and <1%. T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus.
2
Includes people with type 1 diabetes mellitus and T2DM.