I ate nothing but red meat and salt… what happened to my hormones, body fat and mental health shocked me

Jake Moscato decided to try a red meat diet for 60 days to see out whether it would make him look like ‘a superhero’ or ‘mess up’ his body. 

The 28-year-old YouTuber began following the ‘lion’ version of the carnivore diet – which means only consuming beef and salt. But just a few days in, he realized it was far harder than he anticipated.

While on vacation in California just four days into the challenge, he was having trouble finding places to eat out and had to sit out on lunches and dinners with a friend.

Unable to stick to his strict diet and experiencing unpleasant – and inconvenient – intestinal problems, he caved and ate fast foods, ice cream and ultra-processed snacks within a week of starting the diet.

He said: ‘The biggest thing that sucks about it is when you’re out. There is no convenience. I can’t go to Chipotle. I can’t go to a random Taco Stop Taco spot. I can’t go to Dave’s Hot Chicken or Chick-fil-A. Like, I have to cook.’

Aside from having limited food options and being forced to skip out on meals, his health took a turn.

Within a week of starting his journey, Moscato began feeling anxious, experiencing chest pains, as well as a ‘weirdness’ in his stomach, while also becoming mildly depressed.

Realizing this was unsustainable, he decided to loosen the restrictions on his diet and started incorporating pork and some fruits into his meals by the third week.

At one point in the first three days, the New Yorker said: ‘I’m not looking forward to anything. I am so sick of this, I am so sick of meat. I might go vegan after this.’ 

His new diet was ’95, 97 percent red and do a little bit of fruit, eggs and pork.’ 

After adding other food items to his diet, the YouTuber began to enjoy his meals again – noting that a combination of beef and pork smelled ‘delicious.’

As he came to the 60-day mark, Moscato also reported that his mood, energy and focus had also significantly improved. 

Once he completed the challenge, Moscato underwent blood tests to see how much his body had changed.  

Compared to his pre-challenge tests, results showed he had managed to reduce his body fat from 16 to 14.6 percent and drop his body weight from 208lbs to 202lbs. 

Notably, he had also gained about 2lbs in each of his arms and 2lbs of muscle in his chest – increasing his total muscle mass by about 6lbs. 

However, test results showed his cholesterol levels increased by 12mg – going from 157 mg to 169mg, with bad cholesterol levels (LDL) jumping from 67mg to 92mg and his good cholesterol levels dropping from 81mg to 69mg. 

Excessive LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol can build up in the walls of the arteries, forming plaque. This plaque can narrow the arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. 

On the other hand, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is known as the ‘good’ cholesterol because it helps remove other forms of cholesterol from the bloodstream and lowers the risk for heart disease.

Experts that healthy cholesterol levels for both men and women above the age of 20 ranges between 125mg to 200mg while LDL levels should remain below 100mg and HDL levels 40mg and higher – indicating that Moscato was not at the risk of developing heart disease. 

His testosterone levels had also increased from 748 nanograms to a much higher 800ng while his iron levels went from 88 micrograms to a worrying 176ug.

Excess iron, or iron overload, can damage vital organs like the liver, heart as well as the pancreas, leading to conditions like liver disease, diabetes and heart problems. 

While Moscato said he hated eating the carnivore diet during the challenge, he plans to continue to indulge in it while also consuming fruits and avocados after he received his results. 

Despite his results, doctors suggest eating a plant-based diet such as the Mediterranean diet that rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. 

Mountains of research have singled it out as the best and most well-rounded diet for health and longevity, lowering the risk of everything from dementia to heart disease.

A 2018 study published in JAMA assessed 26,000 women who followed the Mediterranean diet and found that those who had adhered to the diet closely for up to 12 years had up to a 28 percent reduced risk for heart disease.

The heart health boosting power of the diet comes from its emphasis on limiting saturated fats that typically come from animal products like meat and butter.

Unsaturated fats, the type that makes up Mediterranean diet-approved foods such as olive oil, nuts, and fish help lower the level of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, which cause a build-up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels.

As those fatty deposits grow, they make it difficult for enough blood to flow through the arteries, which greatly increases the risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Experts have long warned about the risks of consuming excessive red meat and skipping out on vegetables and grains.

Red meats are high in saturated fats, which can cause elevated levels of bad cholesterol and increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease, strokes and heart failure.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer also classifies red meat as a Group 2A carcinogen (substances that can cause cancer) and excessive consumption could probably lead to breast, colorectal and lung cancer. 

Apart from this, a 2025 Neurology study found people who excessively eat red meat are more likely to develop cognitive decline and dementia compared to their counterparts.

The study concluded that those who had eaten 0.25 or more servings per day had a 13 percent higher risk of developing dementia and 14 percent risk of cognitive decline compared to those who ate less than 0.10 servings.

For a healthy diet, experts recommend limiting red meat consumption to no more than 12-18 ounces (cooked) per week or about three servings.