Rice and Fruit or Carnivore

The rice diet successfully treated malignant hypertension. Today, we have medications that treat malignant hypertension. Before the 1940s, there were no drugs available to treat this disease, resulting in death from untreated malignant hypertension within six months.  Despite the best medical care available, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died from this disease.

History of the Rice Diet

Walter Kempner developed the rice diet to treat malignant hypertension. For example, failing kidneys would be given a reprieve with a diet low in sodium and protein. Then removal of saturated fat would allow some recovery of the heart.

In a disease that had 100 percent death in six months, Kempner's results were amazing. For example, in Kempner’s original cohort of 192 people, only 25 patients died.  In addition, 107 patients showed significant improvement (from 200/112 mm Hg to 149/96 mm Hg) with the diet. Equally important, heart size decreased in 66 of 72 patients. Moreover, cholesterol was reduced in 73 of 82 patients. Finally, retinopathy improved or disappeared completely in 21 of 33 patients.

"Therapeutic results are little short of miraculous," noted an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Rice Diet

Patients were first hospitalized. The diet consisted of white rice, sugar, fruit, fruit juices, vitamins and iron. Total calories were 2,000 with 20 grams of protein and 150 mg of sodium.

Kempner kept careful records of his patients. Reporting success and failure is a key to academic transparency. Finally, the ability to reproduce the data in other centers provided the final key to Kempner's work.

Contrast the Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet is popular among young, buff men whose living is made by promoting and coaching this diet. They sell the diet based on classic marketing techniques used for overweight patients.

• Lose weight without trying
• No need to log your food
• Eat as much as you want
• Hunger isn't an issue

Marketing phrases used by hucksters for years to trap people unhappy about their weight.

No Science in the Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet relies on anecdotes, not evidence. Testimonials rule Facebook and YouTube sites. There are no publications about the diet. Finally, many in the carnivore community push against medicine. Conspiratorial thinking is strong, with phrases like this:

• Doctors want you to be sick
• The Medical Community wants to push pills
• Vegetables have anti-nutrients

Try to raise a concern about how this diet would increase the risk of heart disease, and they double down with misinformation. They will deny the evidence showing that high cholesterol leads to heart attacks and strokes. Or make the claim that if you are "metabolically healthy," you don't need to worry about cholesterol.

No Academic Researchers

There are no academic research scientists following people trying the carnivore diet.

That means there is no transparency about the results. In addition, there is no accountability for any bad results.

Those who promote the diet include Paul Saladino, a physician who doesn't see patients and makes his income selling supplements.

The Liver King, who doesn't follow the diet, was caught using performance-enhancing drugs.

Shawn Baker is an orthopedic-trained surgeon who lost his medical license and makes his money promoting the carnivore diet. The New Mexico Medical Board ordered the "voluntary and permanent...