A carnivore diet is a restrictive diet that only includes meat, fish, and other animal products like dairy and eggs. More recently, it has been brought into the limelight by influencers and social media personalities. In fact, there is a whole community of "meatfluencer" who are sharing their meat-eating plans. One of them is Dr Paul Saladino MD, whose belief that there was no better way to prevent chronic diseases than a carnivore diet prompted him to write books and post videos regarding the same. He believed so much in this eating plan that he became a go-to person for many following the same plan, until recently, when he decided to quit.

Here Are Seven Reasons Why He Decided To Quit

Carnivore Diet Disrupted His Sleep

Switching to an all-meat diet isn't always straightforward, especially when it comes to digestion—a lesson Dr Saladino learned firsthand. He experienced sleep disturbances, likely due to the difficulty of digesting high-protein meals. Since protein takes longer to break down, it demands more energy from the body, which can interfere with rest.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, digestion slows by up to 50% during sleep. Additionally, many types of meat contain tyramine, a compound derived from the amino acid tyrosine. Increased tyramine intake can lead to health issues and also triggers the release of norepinephrine, a hormone that raises heart rate and blood pressure, making restful sleep harder to achieve.

He also experienced hypnagogic jerks—sudden muscle spasms that jolt the body awake. "I would fall asleep but then jerk myself awake like I was falling multiple times. It was stressful and traumatic, leading to poor sleep," he shared in his YouTube video.

Eating Only Meat May Have Triggered Heart Palpitations

Another concerning side effect Dr Saladino experienced was heart palpitations—episodes where his heart felt like it was racing or fluttering. While stress is a common cause, few would immediately link palpitations to meat consumption.

However, a sudden shift to an all-meat diet can lead to electrolyte imbalances. The elimination of carbohydrates lowers insulin levels, prompting the kidneys to excrete more sodium. This disrupts the balance of essential minerals like potassium and magnesium, which are crucial for heart function.

Muscle Cramps Became Persistent

Dr Saladino also suffered from frequent muscle cramps while following the carnivore diet. In a post on X, he emphasized the importance of maintaining adequate magnesium, calcium, and potassium levels to prevent cramping. He initially believed that animal-based foods provided sufficient minerals, but his ongoing cramps led him to reconsider.

"I started to think maybe long-term ketosis is not great for me,” he admitted on the *More Plates More Dates* podcast. “Probably not a great thing for most humans."

His Testosterone Levels Dropped Significantly

Dr Saladino also saw a decline in his testosterone levels after following the carnivore diet for over a year. "At the beginning of my carnivore experiment, my testosterone was about 800. After a year to a year and a half, it had dropped to around 500," he revealed.

The issue likely stems from excessive protein intake, which can elevate inflammation and disrupt hormone levels. A 2022 study published in Nutrition and Health found that consuming more than 35% of daily calories from protein can lead to various negative effects, including reduced testosterone.

He Had Chronically Low Insulin Levels

Because he largely eliminated carbohydrates—except for a small amount of fruit—Dr Saladino developed persistently low blood sugar. In his YouTube video, he explained, "I had very low insulin because I wasn’t eating carbohydrates, and the protein I consumed wasn’t insulinogenic enough."

While some diabetics report improved blood sugar control on the carnivore diet, its effects vary based on individual metabolic responses. For non-diabetics, low insulin can lead to hypoglycemia, causing symptoms like dizziness, confusion, a racing heart, and, in extreme cases, seizures or coma. Mild cases can be managed with fast-acting carbohydrates like juice or candy, but severe episodes require medical attention.

His Blood Test Results Showed Concerning Imbalances

Lab tests revealed that his magnesium levels were low, while his sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was elevated—both potential red flags for long-term health issues.

A magnesium deficiency can cause numbness, tingling, fatigue, nausea, headaches, and muscle cramps. Since cramps often strike at night, low magnesium may also contribute to sleep disturbances.

High SHBG levels indicate an excess of circulating protein in the blood, which can increase the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression. To counteract these imbalances, introducing more magnesium-rich foods—such as leafy greens, nuts, beans, and yogurt—could be beneficial.

He Felt Cold All The Time

Electrolyte imbalances and metabolic disruptions can even affect body temperature, which Dr. Saladino experienced firsthand. "I was always cold,"he shared in his YouTube video.

Upon testing his thyroid function, he discovered that his total T3 and free T3 hormone levels were "not ideal." These hormones regulate metabolism, and low levels can slow down metabolic processes, leading to cold intolerance.

Higher education has changed far more than we often acknowledge. Universities are no longer simply places where students earn degrees. They are where young adults spend some of the most formative years of their lives, away from familiar support systems, making independent decisions, navigating uncertainty and, for many, encountering the first signs of a mental health condition. That quiet shift has expanded the role of educational institutions in ways that were never envisaged a decade ago.

The conversation around student wellbeing has evolved alongside this change. Mental health is no longer viewed as a subject to be discussed only after a crisis. Students are speaking more openly, parents are asking different questions, faculty members are becoming more aware and institutions are recognising that emotional wellbeing is closely linked to learning, participation and long term outcomes. This change deserves to be welcomed because it has helped move mental health from the margins of campus life to the centre of institutional responsibility.

Why A Counsellor Alone Is Not Enough?

Yet one assumption continues to shape much of this conversation. The presence of a counsellor is often seen as evidence that a campus is equipped to support student mental health. Counsellors remain indispensable and, for many students, they provide exactly the support that is needed. The challenge arises when counselling is expected to fulfil every role within a mental healthcare system.

Every effective healthcare system is built on layers of expertise. A physician does not replace a surgeon. A laboratory does not replace a diagnosis. Emergency care does not replace rehabilitation. Mental healthcare should be viewed no differently. Counselling is often the first point of contact, but the needs of students do not end there.

Some require structured therapy, others psychiatric evaluation, some ongoing clinical monitoring, and a few immediate crisis intervention. A mature campus mental healthcare system should be equipped to respond across this entire spectrum. The conversation should therefore move beyond whether campuses have counsellors to whether they have a system capable of supporting every stage of care.

Also read: Why People With Mental Health Conditions Are More Likely To Struggle With Tobacco Addiction

Building A Comprehensive Campus Mental Healthcare System

Encouragingly, public policy is beginning to recognise this changing reality. The University Grants Commission’s draft guidelines on mental health and wellbeing for higher educational institutions, with recommendations on counsellor ratios, dedicated wellbeing centres, round the clock helplines and mechanisms for early identification of distress, mark an important step in strengthening institutional support. More importantly, they open the door to a broader conversation on what comprehensive mental healthcare within higher education should look like over the coming years.

Building such a system requires looking beyond individual appointments. One of the most valuable lessons from developing healthcare services is that outcomes are rarely determined by the first consultation alone. They depend on how seamlessly care continues afterwards. If a counsellor recognises that a student needs specialised assessment, how quickly can that happen?

Also read: Lindsay Clancy Trial: What Postpartum Psychosis Really Looks Like, From A Survivor

If medication becomes necessary, is psychiatric care available without delay? If a student experiences a crisis outside campus hours, is there a clearly defined pathway to immediate support? If treatment begins, who ensures continuity during semester breaks or after the student returns home? These are not administrative questions. They are questions that shape recovery.

A comprehensive campus mental healthcare ecosystem should therefore bring together different levels of expertise rather than rely on one profession alone. Counsellors, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, experienced mental health specialists and emergency support services each play a distinct role. Their contribution becomes most effective when they work as part of an integrated network with clear referral pathways, shared clinical responsibility and continuity of care that extends beyond the physical boundaries of the campus.

Prevention And Early Intervention Matter Too

Also read: Sugar Rationing In First 1,000 Days Linked To Lower Depression, Cancer Risk In Adulthood

Equally important is recognising that mental healthcare should not begin only after a student seeks help. Institutions have long understood the value of preventive healthcare through regular physical health assessments, vaccination drives and awareness programmes. Mental health deserves the same thoughtful approach.

Periodic, voluntary mental health check ins, appropriate screening, trained faculty and peer support networks, backed by specialist expertise, can help identify concerns early while respecting privacy, dignity and informed consent. Early recognition is not about labelling students. It is about ensuring that support reaches them before distress becomes disabling.

Technology can strengthen this ecosystem, but it cannot replace it. Digital consultations, secure follow up, coordinated records and access to specialists across locations can make care more continuous, particularly for students studying away from home. Their real value lies in connecting different parts of the system rather than functioning as isolated solutions.

Mental Healthcare As Part Of The Institutional Foundation

The quality of a university has traditionally been measured through its academic standards, faculty and research. Increasingly, it will also be measured by how well it supports the people who make learning possible. Mental healthcare deserves to be seen as part of that institutional foundation, not as an additional welfare service that sits alongside education.

The conversation has already moved beyond whether student mental health matters. The next step is to recognise that no single professional, however skilled, can meet every need that students may bring with them. Every campus needs more than a counsellor because every student deserves access to a mental healthcare system that is prepared not only to listen, but also to respond, support and care through every stage of that journey.

By Dr. Jothi Neeraja, Founder, Chairwoman and Managing Director, Maarga Mindcare

Anxiety and depression are major concerns in adulthood, but could nutrition during the earliest stages of life influence health decades later? Two new studies suggest that lower sugar exposure during the first 1,000 days of life may be associated with lower risks of anxiety, depression and even several cancers later in life.

The findings, from studies published in Translational Psychiatry and PNAS point to the potential long-term effects of early-life nutrition. However, the findings do not mean that restricting sugar in infancy directly prevents these diseases.

Sugar Rationing And Mental Health

A 2026 study led by researchers from the University of Surrey, UK, analyzed 46,448 people born between October 1951 and March 1956.

Participants were grouped according to how long they were exposed to sugar rationing: from in utero only to 24 months. People conceived after food rationing had ended served as the main comparison group.

Researchers also analyzed brain MRI data from 5,990 participants.

Lower Risk Of Anxiety And Depression

Compared with people conceived after rationing ended, those exposed to sugar rationing for the three longest periods had significantly lower hazards of both anxiety and depression.

• Shorter-exposure groups did not show significant differences.
• The associations were stronger in women.
• Adult sugar intake was broadly similar across groups, at about 58–59 g/day of free sugar and 122–124 g/day of total sugar.

When later-life sugar intake was considered, the association with anxiety persisted among those exposed throughout pregnancy and the first two years of life, while the association with depression weakened and was no longer statistically significant.

Further, MRI analysis found differences across rationing groups in 80 of 139 gray matter regions. Analysis identified 11 regions that differed from participants conceived immediately after rationing ended, including the brainstem, occipital fusiform gyrus and several cerebellar regions.

Sugar And Cancer Risk

A separate study published in PNAS examined whether sugar exposure during the first 1,000 days could influence cancer risk later in life.

Researchers from China Agricultural University and the University of Cambridge used the abrupt end of UK sugar rationing in September 1953 as a natural experiment. The analysis included 64,761 UK Biobank participants born between 1951 and 1956.

Compared with those whose first 1,000 days were not affected by rationing, participants exposed to rationing showed lower incidence of several cancers:

• Liver/intrahepatic bile duct cancer: 69% lower
• Prostate cancer: 52% lower
• Lung cancer: 41% lower
• Rectal cancer: 40% lower
• Breast cancer: 36% lower

The researchers identified two possible pathways behind the association.

How Could Early Sugar Exposure Matter?

• Long-term dietary habits: People exposed to rationing consumed less sugar, ate smaller quantities and had healthier, more diverse diets even five decades later, suggesting that early-life exposure may influence lasting food preferences.

• Biological ageing: The rationed groups had longer leukocyte telomeres, equivalent to about 2.2 fewer years of biological ageing, along with lower levels of Granzyme B, a marker linked to chronic immune activation.

Sugar's Link With Mental Health And Cancer

Sugar is an important source of energy for the brain, and very low blood glucose can impair brain function. However, excess sugar intake has also been associated with metabolic problems that can affect long-term health.

When it comes to cancer, sugar does not directly cause cancer, and cutting out all sugar does not “starve” cancer cells. Both healthy and cancer cells use glucose for energy.

However, consistently consuming excessive amounts of added sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity, which are established risk factors for several cancers.

Men who consume higher amounts of dietary nitrite may have a greater risk of colorectal cancer, particularly the type affecting the distal colon, according to a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The study followed 82,009 middle-aged and older adults in Sweden for more than two decades and identified 3,170 cases of colorectal cancer.

Researchers found that men in the highest category of nitrite intake had a 23% higher risk of colorectal cancer overall compared with those in the lowest category. The strongest association was for for distal colon cancer, where the risk was 50% higher.

The findings were not seen in women, and dietary nitrate was not associated with colorectal cancer in either men or women.

More About The Study

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden used dietary information collected in 1997 and updated in 2009 and 2019. They linked this information with Sweden's cancer registry to identify colorectal cancer cases through 2022.

Rather than relying only on participants' diet at the beginning of the study, researchers used repeated measurements to capture changes in nitrite and nitrate intake over time. Among men, the highest versus lowest levels of nitrite consumption were associated with a hazard ratio of 1.23 for colorectal cancer. For distal colon cancer, the hazard ratio rose to 1.50.

Also read: How Genetic and Genomic Testing Can Help Women Make Smarter Cancer Decisions

Difference Between Nitrite And Nitrate

Nitrite and nitrate are related compounds, but they are found in different foods and behave differently in the body. Nitrate occurs naturally in vegetables, particularly leafy greens, as well as drinking water. Nitrite is also naturally present in some foods but is commonly used as a preservative in processed meat and other animal products.

The researchers found no association between dietary nitrate and colorectal cancer, making the distinction particularly important.

Also read: Moderna-Merck’s Personalized mRNA Vaccine: Ushering In A New Era In Cancer Care?

Why Nitrite Could Be A Concern For Cancer Risk?

A possible explanation involves N-nitroso compounds, which can form when nitrate and nitrite undergo chemical reactions in the body. Some N-nitroso compounds are known to be carcinogenic in animals.

The researchers saw that previous studies have also investigated possible links between nitrite exposure and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. However, the exact biological mechanism behind the association observed in this study remains uncertain.

The researchers also found that the association was specific to men, and they said the reason for this difference is unclear.

Sex Difference Needs More Investigation

The authors noted that the higher risk associated with nitrite intake was confined to men and suggested several possible biological explanations, including differences in oxidative stress and other sex-specific factors.

But they stressed that these mechanisms have not been established as the reason for the finding. The study concludes that further research should examine nitrite and colorectal cancer separately in men and women and.

The study was observational, meaning researchers identified an association between dietary nitrite intake and cancer risk but could not prove a direct cause and effect relationship.