Which can go Wrong with eating an extraordinary diet of beef, cheese and butter sticks? Well, your cholesterol levels can achieve such stratospheric levels that lipids from your blood vessels start to flush and form yellow buttons on your skin.
It was the disturbing case of a man in Florida who arrived at a Tampa Hospital with a three-week history of painless, yellow eruptions on the palms, soles and elbows. His case was published today in Jama Cardiology.
The man, who was alleged to have been in his forties, told doctors that he had adopted a ‘Carnivore’ diet eight months before. His diet included between 6 and 9 pounds of cheese, sticks of butter and daily burgers who incorporated extra fat into it. Since increasing this food plan for forehead, he has claimed that his weight has fallen, his energy levels have increased and improved his ‘spiritual clarity’.
Meanwhile, its total cholesterol level exceeded 1 000 mg/dl. For context, an optimal total cholesterol level below 200 mg/dl, while 240 mg/dL is considered the threshold for ‘high’. Cardiologists noted that his cholesterol was between 210 mg/dl to 300 mg/dl before going on his greasy diet.
The cardiologists have diagnosed the man with Xanthelasma, a condition in which excess blood lipids flush out of blood vessels and form localized lipid deposits. The escaped lipids would normally be absorbed by wandering white blood cells called macrophages. But in cases with Xanthelasma, the amount of lipids is too large for the macrophage, which turns into foam cells with the excess cholesterol, leading to visible deposits.
Such deposits are often seen around the eye (a condition called Xanthelasma Palpebrarum), which strikes people with lipid disorders, such as familial hypercholesterolemia. It is thought that the continuous wink of the eye over a person’s life could eventually weaken capillaries in the area, which could make lipid soap possible. But while it can be a more common representation of the condition, lipid deposits can occur throughout the body.
Xanthelasma – especially Xanthelasma Palpebrarum – is not always associated with high cholesterol and heart risks, but having a high total cholesterol is strongly associated with coronary heart disease.
The case study does not provide information on the look of the man. However, the authors write that the case “emphasizes” the impact of dietary patterns on lipid levels and the importance of managing hypercholesterolemia to prevent complications. “
This story originally appears on Ars Technica.