Published Feb 12, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 12, 2026 | 7:00 AM
Representational image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: A case report in Clinical Nutrition Research documents India’s first remission of long-standing type 2 diabetes and hypertension through a carnivore diet. Guided by Dr Ankur Verma, a 58-year-old patient achieved normal blood sugar, HbA1c, and blood pressure within months, discontinuing medications. Experts urge caution, noting potential risks and the need for larger studies.
For decades, managing diabetes felt like a never-ending battle for one 58-year-old man in India. Despite multiple medications and strict diabetic diets, his blood sugar and blood pressure kept fluctuating, and complications were mounting.
The case report, published in Clinical Nutrition Research (CNR), represents the first documented instance in India of longstanding type 2 diabetes and hypertension achieving remission on a carnivore diet.
Under the guidance of Dr Ankur Verma, emergency physician and certified carnivore coach, the patient tried an unconventional approach—a carnivore diet consisting only of eggs, meat, and seafood, cutting out all grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Within months, his blood sugar stabilised, his HbA1c dropped to near-normal levels, and his medications were gradually discontinued, showing remarkable remission of both diabetes and hypertension.
According to Dr Ankur Verma, the report’s author, told South First that the patient’s new diet was simple yet extreme.
“He ate only eggs and animal meat—chicken with skin, buffalo meat, pork, mutton, fish, and prawns,” Dr. Verma explained. No cereals, fruits, vegetables, or other carbohydrates were included.
Macros were carefully monitored: 1 gram of protein/kg of body weight daily, with double that amount in fats naturally sourced from the meat itself.
Dr Verma described this as a nutrient-dense, species-specific diet: “All essential amino acids, omega-3s, bioactive vitamin A, vitamin D3, B12, K2, choline, taurine, carnosine, and carnitine are available in the right forms. Nothing is deficient.”
Cooking oils were limited to ghee, butter, tallow, or virgin coconut oil. Eggs could be prepared in any way; meat could be consumed as chops, mince, or ribs.
Portion control wasn’t required—patients ate ad libitum until satiety, with daily fasting blood sugar and blood pressure monitored remotely by Dr Verma and the patient’s family. Intermittent fasting, including 24-hour fasts, was also incorporated.
From mid-January to April 2024, the patient’s fasting blood sugar dropped to an average of 96–100 mg/dL, and his HbA1c fell from 6.9 percent to 5.4 percent. Blood pressure stabilised around 125/87 mmHg.
His endocrinologist gradually reduced all his diabetes and hypertension medications, eventually discontinuing them entirely by May 2024.
Importantly, kidney function, which many feared would deteriorate under a high-protein, high-fat diet, showed improvement in eGFR.
Dr Verma attributes these changes to the diet’s near-zero carbohydrate intake, which reduces glycaemic load, insulin demand, and glucose variability.
He emphasises that the approach is about both stopping ongoing damage from excess carbohydrates and supplying nutrient-dense food to support healing.
Ketogenic and very low-carb diets (<50 g/day) have shown promise globally, with studies reporting improved HbA1c, weight, and blood pressure, and in some cases, diabetes remission.
Shashikant Iyengar, founder of Metabolic Health India, advises careful interpretation: “From an evidence-based standpoint, a single case report is hypothesis-generating, not conclusive proof.”
Speaking to South First, he added, “yet it demonstrates biological plausibility and clinical feasibility. Near-zero carbohydrate intake allowed medication reduction and sustained normoglycaemia under supervision.”
He highlights that such diets may offer renal benefits, especially in early stages of chronic kidney disease, due to lower glucose exposure and improved blood pressure.
However, Iyengar stresses risks including hypoglycaemia if medications aren’t adjusted promptly, electrolyte imbalances, lipid changes, and acidosis, making medical supervision essential.
Verma also challenges common misconceptions. Fibre, he argues, is non-nutritive carbohydrate, unnecessary for digestion in a carnivore diet.
Vitamin C requirements are reduced on a zero-carb diet because glucose competes for absorption; the small amounts naturally present in animal foods are sufficient.
Verma explains that many vegetarian foods don’t provide all the nutrients our bodies need. “Everyday foods like rajma, chickpeas, dal, or spinach don’t give enough iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, or omega-3s,” he says.
These foods contain antinutrients such as oxalates, lectins, and phytates, which can cause bloating, indigestion, and reduce nutrient absorption, he says.
Animal foods like eggs, meat, and fish supply essential nutrients in forms the body can readily use, naturally producing the small glucose needed without spiking blood sugar.
“These nutrients are bioavailable and biodigestible, supporting metabolic health,” Dr. Ankur notes.
He described type 2 diabetes as a disease of excess carbohydrate intake, leading to insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, and systemic inflammation.
“Removing carbohydrates halts ongoing damage. Nutrient-dense animal foods provide the ‘medicine’ to repair it,” he adds.
Beyond the patient’s impressive remission, Dr Verma believes the case highlights deeper issues in how metabolic diseases are commonly approached.
He observed that many people are conditioned to accept deteriorating health as a natural part of ageing. Society often assumes that individuals in their 30s and 40s are “expected to develop at least one chronic health condition,” which can trigger a cascade where one medication leads to another.
He suggested this case demonstrates how targeted nutritional strategies might sometimes interrupt that cycle rather than simply manage symptoms.
At the same time, experts urge caution. Iyengar noted that reducing carbohydrates can improve diabetes control, but “very low-carbohydrate or carnivore diets carry real risks such as hypoglycaemia if medications are not adjusted quickly, electrolyte imbalance, lipid changes, and acidosis.”
Such diets may only be suitable for “a select group of patients under careful supervision.” Dr Verma echoed this, saying, “guidelines are meant to guide, not restrict thinking,” and stressed that doctors should remain open to patient outcomes that challenge conventional treatment pathways.
Larger, carefully designed studies will be needed before such dietary approaches can be widely recommended in routine clinical practice.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
