Top NHS doctor warns Britons are 'playing with fire' as common diet sends dementia risk soaring

However, there are valid concerns about the long-term impact of adhering to such a restrictive diet, which is backed by pseudoscientific claims.

One of the gravest concerns relates to brain health. According to NHS GP Dr Rupy Aujla, following a carnivore diet can kickstart various mechanisms in the body that raise your risk of cognitive decline.

"I just think this is playing with fire considering we don’t have long-term studies of people consuming these diets in modern environments," he said on his podcast The Doctor’s Kitchen.

"You’re putting yourself at severe risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia, and everything else that comes with that as well."

He conceded that the carnivore diet may provide some health benefits in the "short-term", particularly if you have "genuine intolerances" but the weight of evidence is stacked against it.

The NHS doc cited a mouse study which found that long-term adherence to either keto or the carnivore diets may be pro-inflammatory and pro-ageing.

"They actually observed changes in key organs such as the heart and kidneys where the accumulation of something called senescent cells contributed to systemic inflammation and toxicity," he explained.

"Senescent cells are sort of like age cells that like hanging around and just produce a lot of inflammation and don’t get cleared away by the immune system.

"These are the kind of cells you don’t want in excess and they can contribute to overall systemic inflammation."

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Doctor Aujla cited human studies, which found an increased risk of impaired heart muscle function and an impact on cell health that could increase chronic inflammation.

The biggest red flag associated with an animal-based diet is high cholesterol, which is linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes as well as dementia, the doc says.

Animal fat is mostly saturated fat, which is considered the unhealthiest type of fat because it raises LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

A study of nearly half a million people found that each additional daily serving of processed red meat was associated with an increased risk of dementia. This study also found that processed red meat was linked to worse memory and thinking skills.

Other health risks

Cutting out entire food groups can leave you short on nutrients.

For example, the carnivore diet lacks dietary fibre, which can lead to digestive health issues, imbalances in the gut microbiome, and an increased risk of chronic diseases.

An imbalance in the gut microbiome, also known as dysbiosis, is linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.