Introduction
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto who rose to fame in 2016 for his vocal defense of free speech.
In 2018, at the encouragement of his daughter Mikhaila, Jordan adopted the all-beef "carnivore diet," which he calls the "lion diet" after the definitive meat eater.
Over the past 5+ years, Jordan Peterson has become an influential advocate for restricted diets like carnivore and ketogenic diets:
- Peterson credits the lion diet for helping him rapidly lose over 50 lbs after a lifelong struggle with obesity.
- He believes it has resolved several chronic health conditions including depression, eye inflammation, skin disorders, severe gum disease, and gastric reflux.
- He claims cognitive and physical performance improvements, including enhanced concentration and reading comprehension speed at age 60.
The lion diet remains extremely controversial, given its deviation from standard nutritional guidance. But Jordan Peterson‘s testimonial offers an intriguing real-world account that compels closer scrutiny.
This article will analyze the latest update on Jordan Peterson‘s experience while discussing both risks and potential mechanisms that could underlie benefits of a meat-centric regimen for some people.
The Lion Diet Overview
The lion diet followed by Jordan Peterson has just 3 ingredients:
- Fatty beef
- Salt
- Water
He eats around 2 pounds of beef daily, spread over 2 meals. It excludes all other foods – not just carboydrates but also vegetables, fruits, oils, nuts, seeds, eggs, and dairy.
In essence it mimics the food pyramid of obligate carnivores like lions. As the most nutritionally extreme version of low-carb dieting, it remains highly controversial.
Why It Works: Potential Mechanisms
While limited evidence exists for diets as nutritionally extreme as Peterson‘s, studies do suggest low-carb and high-protein diets can benefit certain populations, especially for:
- Weight loss
- Reduced appetite/cravings
- Improved markers of metabolic health like blood sugar regulation, triglycerides, and insulin sensitivity
- Reduced inflammation
Appetite/Cravings
All meats contain zero carbohydrates. Their absence spur several adaptations:
- Stabilized blood sugar and avoidance of energy peaks & crashes
- Higher glucagon (suppresses appetite) & lower insulin levels
- Possible changes to hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin
Ketogenic diets leverage similar mechanisms but allow foods like low-carb vegetables, nuts and dairy that could trigger cravings in some.
Inflammation
Animal foods contain highly bioavailable nutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 shown to reduce inflammatory biomarkers. They exclude common allergens like grains, legumes, eggs, and dairy.
However, their lack of plant foods may increase inflammation long-term without antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Gut Health
Recent research implicates gut dysbiosis (microbial imbalance) in metabolic disorders. Animal foods require minimal digestion, avoiding fermentation by pathogens. But they may also reduce commensal gut bacteria without plant fiber.
Insulin Sensitivity
Meat diets can drastically lower insulin, allowing sustained fat burning. But there are concerns this stresses pancreatic function long-term.
Genetic Factors
Certain genotypes respond better to higher protein, meat-centric diets. Genes impacting insulin, cholesterol, neurotransmitters, and detoxification likely play a key role.
But without clinical supervision, generic risks may outweigh benefits for some genotypes.
Comparing the Lion Diet to Other Low-Carb Approaches
The lion diet represents an extreme version of contemporary low-carb and ancestral diets.
Its all-meat composition mimics the carnivore diet which allows eggs, certain dairy and has slightly more variety. It also echoes traditional diets like the steppe Mongolian nomad diet based on grass-fed meats and dairy.
The Inuit traditional Arctic diet also centers around wild game and fish yet differs by including berries, nuts, seaweed and fermented blubber. The carnivore diet excludes these plant foods but may allow occasional carbs like honey or bone broth.
38% of the lion diet‘s calories come from fat which puts it in the range of the well-studied ketogenic diet (60-75% fat) also focused on carb restriction and fat burning.
Finally, the Paleolithic diet harkens back to hunter gatherers by excluding grains and dairy while emphasizing meat and produce. The lion diet deviates by excluding produce but sharing an emphasis on wild game.
In reality, no single "ideal human diet" exists. Individual variability based on genotype, lifestyle and environment likely matter more which the self-experimentation community seeks to uncover through n=1 trials.
Reviewing the Evidence on Carnivore Diets
While more research exists on benefits of carbohydrate-restricted diets generally, studies focused specifically on carnivore and all-meat diets remain limited.
A 2021 review of 4 carnivore diet studies lasting between 2 weeks and 1 year reported:
- Weight loss occurred in all trials ranging from 6 to over 100 lbs
- Adherence was high ranging between 57-100%
- Side effects like constipation and nausea were “self-limiting”
- No adverse events occurred
A 2020 case study described 2 women who resolved autoimmune and gastrointestinal issues on 6-18 month carnivore diets.
However, the author noted cortisol regulation may be impacted negatively without dietary fiber. Another report found nutrient deficiencies emerging in 6 months.
So while limited initial results suggest potential benefits, uncertainty remains regarding long-term safety and outcomes.
Nutrient Adequacy Concerns
The lion diet lacks several food groups like fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains that provide important nutrients:
- Fiber for gut health
- Phytonutrients like polyphenols as antioxidants
- Vitamin C for collagen formation
- Magnesium, potassium, plant compounds for heart health
- Variety of micro-nutrients (iron, iodine)
Without significant organ meats, deficiencies could emerge over longer periods unless selectively supplemented.
Certain populations like children, pregnant women, and those with kidney issues may suffer complications faster. Anyone attempting long-term carb restriction should monitor labs, consult a medical professional and selectively supplement based on biomarkers.
Who May Respond Better to Carb Restriction?
While not suitable for everyone long-term, certain populations may achieve better results with carb-restricted diets:
- Those with obesity, metabolic syndrome or diabetes
- Inflammatory conditions like autoimmunity
- Digestive disorders like IBS, IBD, SIBO
- Neurological conditions like epilepsy, Alzheimer’s
- Histamine, glutamate or其他化学敏感症
- Addictive tendencies like sugar addiction
The common thread is dysregulation of insulin, blood sugar, weight, or inflammation.
However, even for these groups risks may begin exceeding benefits without periodic carb cycling.
Pros vs Other Elimination Diets
Many eliminate inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy or eggs to resolve conditions. How does lion diet compare regarding risks, effectiveness and evidence backing?
Autoimmune protocol (AIP) has solid scientific basis for benefits. It allows meat and many plants while eliminating grains, beans, dairy, eggs and vegetable nightshades.
Compliance challenges are reduced on lion vs AIP but nutrient risks likely higher.
Anecdotal reports suggest potential benefit for some like Jordan Peterson. But AIP addresses root causes in more balanced, sustainable way for many people long-term.
Examples of High-Meat Traditional Diets
While plant-based diets dominate modern nutrition advice, tribes subsisting largely on animal foods have been documented:
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Inuit Greenlanders thrived for generations eating wild game & fish, organ meats and blubber. Vitamin C came from occasional berries. Bone broth prevented deficiencies.
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Siberian Chukotka depend on reindeer meat & organs yet gather wild plants seasonally. Still they get >50% of calories from animal sources.
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The carnivorous Maasai tribe consume raw meat, blood and milk eating no plant foods yet exhibit low heart disease rates although other risks increase from mineral imbalances.
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Plains Native Americans like Blackfoot tribes ate mainly bison and small game in the winter, transitioning to berries and gathered foods in warmer months. This cyclical carb intake likely reduced nutrient risks.
These examples suggest potential survival on such extreme meat-based diets, although longevity past 40 years was limited until modern era. Year-round carnivory without sufficient organ meats likely incurs deficiencies over longer timespans.
Addressing Criticisms and Concerns
Public health authorities argue against long-term carnivore diets for several reasons:
- Lack nutrients vital to health like fiber, vitamin C, magnesium
- Increase infection risks if immune function compromised
- Strain kidney function without alkalizing fruits & vegetables
- Increase inflammation without antioxidants from plants
- Correlate to higher all-cause mortality rates epidemiologically
However, moderate carbohydrate intake under 50-100g/day may mitigate these risks if coupled with sufficient organ meats for bioavailable nutrients and plant compounds.
Cyclical ketosis as practiced by traditional groups may balance benefits of carb restriction with avoiding nutritional shortfalls and hormonal dysfunction seen in chronic ketosis.
Ultimately no consensus yet exists given the lack of long-term randomized trials. Self-experimentation suggests wide variability in individual responses.
Mikhaila Peterson‘s Experience
Jordan initially adopted lion diet on the encouragement of his daughter Mikhaila. She attributes it to successfully overcoming years of arthritis, depression and fatigue.
Mikhaila catalyzed Jordan’s transformation by witnessing her own dramatic improvement first-hand after eliminating foods like grains, vegetables, eggs and nuts.
Her Youtube channel shares details on her decade-long health journey, highlighting the similar emotional and physical suffering she and Jordan endured before finding dietary relief.
Best Practices for Self-Experimentation
For exploratory folks considering self-experimentation, several best practices balance openness with safety precautions:
- Consult a doctor, nutritionist or health coach before making major changes
- Track detailed food logs, symptom scores and labs to quantify changes
- Set timeboxed experiment duration targets like 30, 90 or 180 days
- Define exit criteria in advance for stopping if issues emerge
- Supplement conditionally with micronutrients based on testing
- Avoid long-term restrictions without cyclical cleansing phases
- Interpret n=1 outcomes with humility
Biohackers prioritize self-data over population statistics. But personalization has limits regarding objective nutrition science.
With reasonable safeguards and reflective rigor, self-quantification can produce insight despite statistical noise. But exceptions don‘t disprove norms; fanaticism ignores fundamentals.
Nuance navigates the narrow way.
Conclusion & Takeaways
While limited evidence exists for such an extreme all-meat diet, Jordan Peterson makes a compelling testimonial of its transformative potential based on his lived experience.
By many metrics including weight, chronic conditions and mental clarity the lion diet proved beneficial for Jordan‘s genetics, lifestyle and circumstances.
Yet the lack of food variety incurs measurable nutritional risks over longer time horizons for most people. Mitigating these risks long-term remains the greatest challenge.
As such, while inspirational and hypothesis-generating, Jordan‘s story should not yet overrule standard nutritional guidance. It rather indicates the potential value of structured self-experimentation for struggling individuals under medical guidance.
But biohacking has limits regarding objective science. It serves inspirational examples more than prescriptive mandates. Each person must carefully balance anecdote vs data based on their unique situation and ethical parameters.
In that spirit of personalized wisdom rather than fanatical doctrine, Jordan Peterson‘s extreme lion diet journey will continue generating insights alongside cautions; solutions alongside warnings.
For the open minded but critically minded, it merits monitored learning – neither outright acceptance nor rejection just yet. The truth likely lies between these extremes, awaiting further discovery by those judicious few daring enough to explore unbeaten nutrition frontiers with safety nets secured.