AAP FACTCHECK – Advocates of the carnivore diet claim one of its major benefits is that it prevents sunburn. This is false. Dermatology experts say there’s no evidence that a carnivore diet can prevent sunburn.
The claim is made in an Instagram post by carnivore diet advocate Dr Anthony Chaffee. AAP FactCheck has previously debunked Dr Chaffee’s claim that for most of our history humans have exclusively eaten meat. The graphic in the Instagram post says “Carnivore Diet Benefit #999 No sunburn”.
The post’s caption states “Why Carnivores Don’t Get Sunburn”, before listing several supposed reasons. It concludes: “All of this means you can spend more time in the sun without getting sunburn and you can easily develop a beautiful tan and solar callus”. The carnivore diet typically only allows consumption of meat, eggs, seafood, some dairy and water.
Claims the carnivore diet prevents sunburn also appear on TikTok and in blogs . Sunburn is the immune system reacting to UV light damage of skin cells from the sun. This can lead to skin cancer when skin cells are badly damaged.
Professor Dedee Murrell , a dermatology expert of UNSW Sydney’s School of Clinical Medicine, told AAP FactCheck she knows of no evidence that a carnivore diet prevents sunburn. Prof Murrell said the factors that influence sunburn include your type of melanin or skin pigmentation, the dose of UV light you receive, how long you spend in the sun, where you live, and your level of protection .