The Carnivore Diet Gout Explosion: Why Young Men Are Getting the “Disease of Kings”

A 28-Year-Old Walks Into a Rheumatology Clinic With Gout

His big toe is swollen to twice its normal size. He can feel his pulse in the joint. He used to run 5Ks. Now he cannot put on a sock without wincing.

His doctor asks about his diet. “I started carnivore six months ago,” he says. “Steak, eggs, butter. Organ meats three times a week. Felt incredible at first. Dropped 25 pounds in two months.”

Then the pain started.

He is not alone. Reddit threads are filling up with similar stories. One user wrote about going full carnivore with organ meats, feeling amazing for a week, then getting the worst gout attack he had ever experienced. It hit both knees, both wrists, and even the back of his neck. Another said his uric acid levels spike every time he goes strict carnivore. A third watched his dad develop debilitating gout attacks two months into the diet.

Something is happening, and it is worth paying attention to.

Gout Is No Longer Just an Old Man’s Problem

For centuries, people called gout the “disease of kings.” It was something that happened to wealthy older men who drank too much port and ate too much pheasant. That image is outdated, and honestly, it was not the full picture.

A 2024 study published in Lancet Rheumatology found that global gout cases more than doubled from 1990 to 2020, jumping from roughly 22 million to 55.8 million. The United States saw a 76.6 percent increase during that same period. And the age demographic is shifting downward. Cases among people aged 10 to 24 have climbed more than 20 percent in recent decades.

Young men are bearing the brunt. They are more than four times as likely to have gout as young women, and that gap keeps widening. A 2025 analysis of Global Burden of Disease data confirmed that wealthier countries, particularly the United States and Canada, have the highest rates.

If you want to understand why young people are suddenly getting gout, you have to look at what they are eating. And right now, a lot of them are eating nothing but meat.

Why the Carnivore Diet Is a Gout Trap

The carnivore diet is exactly what it sounds like: meat, eggs, animal fat, and sometimes dairy. No vegetables. No grains. No fruit. Nothing that grows in soil. On social media, the #carnivorediet hashtag has racked up hundreds of millions of views, with young men showing off their steak-and-butter meals and dramatic before-and-after photos.

The problem is that red meat is loaded with purines. Purines are compounds that your body breaks down into uric acid. Normally, your kidneys filter uric acid out of your blood and flush it through urine. But when you are eating ribeye and liver for every meal, your body produces more uric acid than your kidneys can handle. The excess starts crystallizing in your joints, forming sharp, needle-like structures that bury themselves in your tissue. That is a gout attack.

A 2018 meta-analysis found that red meat consumption is linked to a 29 percent higher risk of gout. A 2022 study of 655 people with gout showed that those diagnosed before age 40 had markedly higher uric acid levels and consumed far more red meat than those who developed gout later in life. Among early-onset cases, 44 percent ate 101 to 200 grams of red meat daily, compared to 26 percent of later-onset cases.

Organ meats are even worse. Liver, kidney, and sweetbreads contain some of the highest purine concentrations of any food. Many carnivore diet influencers actively encourage eating organ meats regularly, which is basically pouring gasoline on the fire if you are prone to gout.

But Wait, Does Not Ketosis Help With Uric Acid?

Some carnivore diet advocates argue that the diet actually improves metabolic health, which should help uric acid long-term. There is a kernel of truth here, but it comes with a massive caveat.

When you first start a very low-carb or zero-carb diet, your body enters ketosis. Ketones and uric acid compete for the same excretion pathway in the kidneys. In the early stages of ketosis, your kidneys prioritize clearing ketones, which means uric acid gets backed up. This is why uric acid levels often spike during the first few weeks of a keto or carnivore diet.

For some people, uric acid levels eventually stabilize as the body adapts. But “eventually” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. If you have a family history of gout, if your kidney function is less than ideal, or if you are eating huge quantities of purine-rich meats while your body is still adjusting, you can trigger a gout attack before your body ever reaches that stabilization phase.

Rapid weight loss makes things worse. When you drop pounds quickly, your body breaks down tissue and releases stored purines into your bloodstream. The carnivore diet often produces rapid initial weight loss, which means a temporary flood of uric acid right when your kidneys are already struggling to keep up.

If you have read about the keto-gout connection before, this is the same mechanism, but the carnivore diet amplifies it because the purine load from all-meat eating is dramatically higher than a standard keto diet that includes some vegetables and lower-purine protein sources.

The Kidney Stone Connection Nobody Warns You About

Here is something the carnivore influencers rarely mention. The same excess uric acid that crystallizes in your joints can also form crystals in your kidneys. Those crystals cluster into stones. Kidney stones cause pain that people often compare to childbirth, and they can damage your kidney function over time.

Dr. Chad Larson, a California-based naturopathic doctor, told reporters that case-based evidence has raised red flags about increased uric acid and kidney stone risk after switching to all-meat diets. He specifically warned that people with a family history of gout, chronic kidney disease, or poor renal function face a much greater baseline risk when they adopt a meat-heavy diet without monitoring their blood work.

This is not a minor side effect. Kidney stones and gout share the same root cause, and a diet that pushes uric acid through the roof is going to raise your risk of both.

What About the New Dietary Guidelines?

In January 2026, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released updated dietary guidelines that placed red meat, cheese, and other animal proteins at the top of a redesigned food pyramid. The shift, in Kennedy’s words, “ends the war on saturated fats” and encourages Americans to prioritize protein-rich foods at every meal.

The American Heart Association pushed back, emphasizing that plant-based proteins remain the safer choice for cardiovascular health. This matters because gout and heart disease are closely linked. Frequent gout flares are now recognized as a marker of elevated cardiovascular risk, with research showing that people experiencing more than three treated flares per year have a 24 percent higher risk of major cardiovascular events over seven years.

The dietary debate is far from settled, but the gout data is clear. Daily consumption of large portions of red meat, especially organ meats, substantially increases your risk. Occasional red meat once or twice a week is probably fine for most people. But “probably fine” and “eat it for every meal” are very different things.

What Should You Actually Do?

If you are drawn to lower-carb eating but want to avoid gout, you do not have to choose between a carnivore diet and a vegetarian lifestyle. There is a massive middle ground.

Eat red meat in moderation. Once or twice a week, reasonable portions. You do not need a 16-ounce ribeye to get protein. A 4-ounce serving of lean beef gives you about 30 grams of protein without overloading your purine intake.

Skip the organ meats. Liver, kidney, and sweetbreads are purine bombs. If you are concerned about nutrient density, you can get vitamin A, iron, and B vitamins from other sources that will not send your uric acid through the roof.

Include low-purine proteins. Eggs, dairy, and plant-based proteins like tofu are all low in purines. Low-fat dairy actually helps your body excrete uric acid more efficiently. If you want to learn more about which foods help and which hurt, check out our complete gout diet guide.

Stay hydrated. Water helps your kidneys flush uric acid. Aim for at least 2 to 3 liters per day, more if you are active or losing weight. Hydration is one of your best tools for preventing gout flares.

Transition gradually. If you are determined to try a low-carb approach, do not jump straight into zero-carb. Transition over several weeks to give your kidneys time to adjust. And get your uric acid checked before and during the transition.

Talk to your doctor. If you have a family history of gout or kidney problems, a carnivore diet is not something to try based on a TikTok video. Get blood work done first. Know your baseline uric acid level. If it is already elevated, a meat-heavy diet could trigger your first gout attack within weeks.

FAQ

Can the carnivore diet cause gout?

Yes. The carnivore diet is extremely high in purines from red meat and organ meats, which your body converts into uric acid. When uric acid levels get too high, crystals form in your joints and trigger gout attacks. Multiple Reddit users have reported developing gout after starting the carnivore diet, including young men with no prior history of the condition.

Is keto just as bad as carnivore for gout?

Not exactly. Both diets can temporarily raise uric acid through ketosis, but the carnivore diet is worse because it eliminates all plant foods and relies exclusively on purine-rich animal products. A standard keto diet that includes low-purine vegetables, eggs, and dairy is less likely to trigger gout than an all-meat approach.

I already have gout. Can I still eat red meat?

You can, but keep it to small portions once or twice a week at most. Choose leaner cuts, and avoid organ meats entirely. How you prepare meat matters too. Boiling or steaming and discarding the cooking liquid can reduce purine content. Check out our guide on cooking methods and gout for specifics.

How long does it take for uric acid to spike on a carnivore diet?

Uric acid can rise within the first one to two weeks of starting a carnivore diet. The initial spike comes from two sources: the high purine load from meat and the competition between ketones and uric acid for kidney excretion. For some people, levels may stabilize after several weeks. For others, especially those with genetic predisposition or kidney issues, the elevation persists.

What should my uric acid level be?

For most adults, a normal uric acid level is below 6 mg/dL for women and below 7 mg/dL for men. If you have gout, the target is below 6 mg/dL. If you have tophi or frequent flares, your doctor may aim for below 5 mg/dL. Get tested regularly, especially if you are making major dietary changes.

Are young people really getting gout more often?

Yes. Cases among people aged 10 to 24 have increased more than 20 percent in recent decades. A 2022 study found that early-onset gout, defined as diagnosis before age 40, is associated with higher uric acid levels, higher rates of obesity, and markedly higher red meat consumption compared to late-onset gout.

Reviewed by the GoutSavvy Editorial Team