Carnivore Diet for PCOS: Miracle Cure or Big Mistake?

Recently, I’ve been seeing more and more people talking about the carnivore diet for PCOS. Some people singing its praises, some people reporting it was a huge mistake to try, and others just wondering what I think about the carnivore diet for PCOS. 

As a registered dietitian who also has PCOS, I’m going to address all your carnivore diet questions. In this blog post, I’m going to dive into what the carnivore diet is, the pros and cons of it, and my honest opinion on the carnivore diet for PCOS.

PCOS: Why Your Diet Matters

Polycystic ovary syndrome (aka PCOS) affects up to 1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the United States. 

If you feel alone, trust me, you’re not alone. Check out 15 Celebrities Who Have Openly Talked About Their PCOS.

While the exact cause of PCOS remains unknown, we do know that insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and high androgen levels (aka male hormones like testosterone) play a big role in the presentation of PCOS.

These hormone imbalances lead to the common symptoms of PCOS we often hear about such as:

• Weight gain
• Cravings, especially for carbs and sugar
• Irregular periods
• Infertility
• Acne
• Hair loss
• Hirsutism (aka excess hair growth)
• Fatigue
• Mood swings
• Mood disorders such as anxiety and depression

Unfortunately, if left unmanaged, PCOS can put you at an increased risk for developing certain health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, fatty liver and even endometrial cancer. 

While this sounds all doom and gloom, the good news is that the foods you eat can play a crucial role in reducing your PCOS symptoms and lowering your risk of chronic disease. That’s because your diet can directly impact your blood glucose levels (aka blood sugar levels), insulin sensitivity, and inflammation levels. 

Although people will debate as to what the best diet for PCOS is, the reality is that the best way to eat for PCOS hasn’t been established yet. 

Let’s dive into the carnivore diet, which has been gaining popularity through anecdotal reports and success stories on the internet. 

What is the Carnivore Diet? 

The carnivore diet is a diet that consists of eating only meat and animal products. It is a high fat, high protein diet that is also essentially a zero-carb diet. 

Carnivore diet foods that are usually allowed include:

• Meat including beef, poultry, pork, and wild game
• Fish and seafood
• Organ meats
• Bone broth
• Fatty meat products – like tallow or lard

Eggs and dairy products, such as butter and cheese, are carnivore diet foods that are usually allowed, although some people choose to also avoid them. 

On a carnivore diet, any plant-based foods are avoided entirely. 

Foods that are not allowed on the carnivore diet plan include: 

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Grains such as bread, rice, oats, quinoa, or barley
• Legumes such as lentils, beans, or chickpeas
• Nuts 
• Seeds 
• Vegetable oils such as olive oil, avocado oil, or canola oil

Carnivore Diet vs Keto Diet

Many people get confused on the difference between a carnivore diet and a traditional ketogenic diet (aka keto diet).

The ketogenic diet started out as a medical diet to treat certain medical conditions. In recent decades, it has evolved into a popularized diet for weight maintenance or weight loss mostly. 

The keto diet is high fat, moderate protein, and low in carbs. Generally speaking, the typical macronutrient breakdown of total daily calories is 70-80% fat, 10-20% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrate. When done properly, a keto diet is not a carb-free diet. 

The typical keto diet does not limit you to only eat foods from specific food groups. You can typically eat any foods, including plant foods, that fit within your daily macronutrient breakdown.  

While the carnivore diets and keto diets do seem similar, the carnivore diet is stricter since you’re limited to eating only animal-based foods.

Carnivore Diet for PCOS

Ok, let’s move onto whether the carnivore diet is a good choice for those of us with PCOS. 

The internet is filled with anecdotal reports of people claiming that the carnivore diet changed their life and eliminated their PCOS symptoms. 

There is little scientific research to support most of these claims though. In fact, there’s very little research on the carnivore diet used in humans to begin with – and there’s currently zero research on carnivore diets for PCOS specifically.

That’s not to say that something can’t be beneficial for PCOS though…because honestly, research studies on PCOS in general are lacking and there’s so much that we don’t know yet about how to manage this condition.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential benefits of a carnivore diet for PCOS…then we’ll dive into some potential downsides of this diet for PCOS.  

Potential Benefits of Carnivore Diet for PCOS

Many people report positive results of weight loss, mental clarity and less brain fog, clearer skin, and resolution of irregular menstrual cycles. 

Based on some limited research studies that we do have, we know that ketogenic diets (not necessarily carnivore diets, but remember: carnivore diets are even more restrictive than keto diets) can have positive effects for PCOS. 

Studies show that keto diets for PCOS may be able to provide (1, 2, 3):

• Weight loss
• Improved insulin sensitivity and glucose levels
• Better cholesterol levels
• Fatty liver improvement 
• Less inflammation
• Improved menstrual regularity
• Lower androgen levels (such as lower testosterone levels) 

This sounds pretty good for many people with PCOS and the symptoms they may struggle with. Let’s talk about some downsides that I think are really important to highlight before you decide if you want to jump into a carnivore diet or low-carb lifestyle.

Potential Downsides of Carnivore Diet for PCOS

We talked about some potential benefits of a carnivore diet for PCOS, but we need to also discuss some potential downsides or limitations. 

It’s important to note that there are zero studies so far that look at the carnivore diet and PCOS specifically. There are studies that look at keto diets for PCOS…the difference between this and carnivore diets is that keto diets still allow for some carbs in the diet. So while we can draw some conclusions based on the keto research we do have, it’s not exactly comparing apples to apples.

A few potential downsides of the carnivore diet for PCOS include:

• Long term safety concerns
• Potential nutrient deficiencies
• Elimination of fiber
• Gut microbiome changes and digestive issues
• Sustainability

Let’s talk a little bit about each of these in more detail. 

Long Term Safety of Carnivore Diets

As I’ve mentioned previously, there is no research on PCOS and carnivore diets specifically. There is research on low carb diets, keto diets, and PCOS though…but these research studies have all been extremely short term so far. The longest study duration I’ve seen is 6 months, which is not a long time in the grand scheme of life. The study sample sizes have also been pretty small too and not representative of everyone with PCOS. 

My point here is that while there are positive benefits associated with these research studies, would the positive benefits continue in the long term? Or would we notice an increased risk of something detrimental in the long term? We don’t know that information yet. 

Just as an external example of this: smoking cigarettes can provide a short-term calming sensation for some people. Research showed us that smoking cigarettes long term though can drastically increase the chance of certain conditions like COPD and lung cancer.

Some information we do know is that carnivore diets tend to be high in saturated fats, which can increase cholesterol levels in some people. It’s particularly linked to higher total cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels (aka the “bad cholesterol”). Up to 70% of women with PCOS already experience dyslipidemia, or abnormal cholesterol levels (4). The carnivore diet could potentially exacerbate this. 

Additionally, diets high in saturated fat are linked to worsened insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (5). Since insulin resistance is already so prevalent in PCOS, this is definitely something to be concerned about. 

Elimination of Fiber

Since the carnivore diet is essentially a carb-free diet, that means that it does not provide any fiber. Dietary fiber is a type of non-digestible carbohydrate. It’s found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. 

Limited fiber intake can lead to digestive issues such as constipation, bloating, gas, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea. Many people report significant constipation as a side effect of carnivore diets. 

We also know that no dietary fiber in our diet means that we’re also not getting any prebiotics. Prebiotics are compounds in food that promote the growth and reproduction of the good gut bacteria. Basically, prebiotics are the food source of probiotics. Without prebiotics to help the probiotics thrive, we could potentially see gut dysbiosis, which can contribute to the development of inflammation and insulin resistance.

Research has repeatedly shown the benefits of dietary fiber for overall health (6). Fiber plays a role in digestive health, creating a diverse gut microbiome, satiety, improved blood glucose levels and cholesterol levels, hormone regulation, body detoxification, and lowering the  risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even certain cancers.

Ultimately, eliminating fiber for long periods of time may have negative long term effects on overall health. 

Potential Nutrient Deficiencies

While nutrient deficiencies can happen to anyone, they’re exponentially more common in someone who is limiting their dietary intake. The carnivore diet is extremely limited and puts you at a higher risk of several nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.

Sustainability

This is one of the biggest downsides that I acknowledge first when it comes to considering the carnivore diet for PCOS. Is it sustainable? For most people, the answer is no. 

There’s a lot that we don’t know about long-term safety and consequences of the carnivore diet for human health and PCOS. Something that we absolutely do know though is that restrictive diets are extremely hard to stick to. We also know that diet cycling and weight cycling, which is prominent in the PCOS population, leads to a higher body weight in the long term.

Many people enjoy the quick weight loss that happens when they significantly limit their carb intake. This happens because carbs are your body’s preferred source of fuel. When you limit or eliminate carbs from your diet, your body is going to look for them elsewhere. Luckily for your body, you have a stored form of carbohydrate in your muscles and liver called glycogen. 

When your body doesn’t get enough carbs in your diet, it will break down that glycogen to use for energy. Think of glycogen like a really absorbent sponge. Glycogen holds onto three times its weight in water. When that glycogen is broken down, that water goes with it too…this is the rapid weight loss that happens when carbs are eliminated. 

This type of weight loss is short lived though if you don’t stick with that low carb diet. As soon as you reintroduce carbs into your diet, your body wants to replenish those glycogen stores (and the 3x water weight that goes along with it). As that happens, weight gain happens…most people tend to regain the weight they lost plus some extra weight too. 

This can unfortunately lead to worse PCOS symptoms and metabolic health in the long run…and may ultimately impact your mental health and quality of life. 

Should You Try The Carnivore Diet for PCOS?

Whether you should try the carnivore diet for PCOS is a question that only you can answer for yourself. 

For what it’s worth, I don’t recommend the carnivore diet for PCOS. There are just too many factors that we don’t know about it…and potential downsides that we do know about it. 

I recently asked my followers on Instagram if they’ve tried a carnivore diet for PCOS. Many people who have tried it reported having a negative personal experience overall. Some side effects that they reported included high cholesterol levels, fatty liver, less blood sugar control, bloating, constipation, worse acne, cravings, and regaining more weight after stopping the diet.

The sustainability factor of a carnivore diet for PCOS is very difficult for most people. If you’re looking for a more sustainable approach to manage your PCOS symptoms, a balanced diet that focuses on high quality carbs that are rich in fiber, along with protein and healthy fats is what I recommend. 

Learn more and grab A Dietitian’s 7 Day PCOS Diet Plan PDF here.

The Bottom Line

The carnivore diet for PCOS has recently become a more popular topic on the internet. Many people remark that they’ve seen impressive results by following this restrictive diet, including weight loss, regular menstrual cycles, clearer skin, and mental clarity. 

There aren’t any research studies that examine the effects of the carnivore diet on PCOS. There are some research studies that look at keto diets and PCOS, however, these studies are very short term and have small sample sizes. 

The potential long term consequences and safety of the carnivore diet for PCOS aren’t well understood. Two other concerns that I have are the lack of fiber and the potential nutrient deficiencies it can cause. Additionally, the sustainability of this diet could be difficult for many people. 

As a registered dietitian, I don’t recommend the carnivore diet for PCOS. I recommend a more balanced approach that includes a variety of foods from different food groups while focusing on blood sugar control and anti-inflammatory foods. 

Get a 3 week PCOS Meal Plan here. This Meal Plan includes 3 weeks worth of meals, snacks, weekly grocery lists, meal prep tips, and product recommendations!

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Disclaimer: this is for informational purposes only. It does not substitute for or replace professional medical advice for the management of polycystic ovarian syndrome (aka PCOS) or any other medical conditions. Always consult with your healthcare provider or registered dietitian for personalized dietary advice.