Carnivore Diet and Blood Sugar: Managing Diabetes with Meat-Based Eating

The carnivore diet produces some of the most stable blood sugar readings of any dietary approach, simply because it provides near-zero dietary carbohydrate. For people with type 2 diabetes, this means dramatically reduced glucose spikes, lower insulin demands, improved HbA1c, and in many cases, the possibility of reducing or eliminating diabetes medications under medical supervision. The approach is straightforward in its mechanism but requires careful management, especially for those on insulin or other glucose-lowering medications.

Why Does the Carnivore Diet Stabilize Blood Sugar?

The mechanism is not complicated. Blood sugar rises primarily in response to dietary carbohydrate. When you eat bread, rice, pasta, fruit, or sugar, those carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and absorbed into the bloodstream. The pancreas then releases insulin to shuttle that glucose into cells.

On a carnivore diet, carbohydrate intake is effectively zero (meat contains trace amounts at most). Without significant glucose coming in from food, blood sugar stays remarkably flat throughout the day. Continuous glucose monitor (CGM) data from carnivore dieters typically shows readings between 70 and 95 mg/dL with minimal variation — a stark contrast to the roller coaster pattern seen on standard diets.

Protein does stimulate some insulin release, but it also stimulates glucagon, which counterbalances the insulin effect. The net result is that a high-protein, zero-carb meal produces minimal blood sugar change.

This has profound implications for anyone with impaired glucose metabolism. If the core problem of type 2 diabetes is chronic hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, then removing the dietary source of glucose addresses the root cause rather than just managing the symptom.

How Does Insulin Sensitivity Improve?

Type 2 diabetes is fundamentally a disease of insulin resistance. Cells become less responsive to insulin, requiring progressively more insulin to maintain blood sugar control. Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up, and blood sugar rises chronically.

The carnivore diet addresses insulin resistance through several mechanisms:

Reduced insulin demand. Without dietary carbohydrate, the pancreas produces far less insulin. This gives insulin receptors a chance to resensitize — much like how taking a break from caffeine restores sensitivity to its effects.

Reduced inflammation. Chronic inflammation impairs insulin signaling at the cellular level. The carnivore diet reduces inflammatory markers by eliminating seed oils, sugar, and processed foods. See our detailed article on how carnivore reduces inflammation.

Weight loss. Many people lose significant weight on the carnivore diet, particularly visceral (abdominal) fat. Visceral fat is metabolically active tissue that produces inflammatory cytokines and contributes directly to insulin resistance. As visceral fat decreases, insulin sensitivity improves. For more on the weight loss mechanisms, see our weight loss science article.

Reduced liver fat. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is both a cause and consequence of insulin resistance. Low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to reduce liver fat more effectively than low-fat diets, even when calories are not restricted.

The combination of these mechanisms can produce dramatic improvements in insulin sensitivity over weeks to months.

What HbA1c Improvements Do People See?

HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) measures average blood sugar over the preceding two to three months. It is the gold standard for diabetes management:

• Normal: Below 5.7%
• Prediabetic: 5.7% to 6.4%
• Diabetic: 6.5% and above

Reports from the carnivore and broader low-carb community consistently show striking HbA1c reductions:

• People with HbA1c of 8 to 10% (poorly controlled diabetes) often drop to 5.5 to 6.5% within three to six months
• Some achieve HbA1c below 5.7% (non-diabetic range), effectively normalizing their blood sugar
• Fasting glucose levels typically drop into the 80 to 100 mg/dL range

These improvements are consistent with the broader literature on very low-carbohydrate diets and diabetes. The Virta Health clinical trial, which used a ketogenic (very low-carb) diet for type 2 diabetes management, demonstrated that 60 percent of participants reversed their type 2 diabetes at one year, and HbA1c improvements were sustained at two years.

While the Virta trial was ketogenic rather than strictly carnivore, the carnivore diet is a subset of very low-carb eating and likely produces similar or greater carbohydrate restriction.

What About Medication Adjustments?

This is perhaps the most critical section of this article. If you are taking diabetes medications and start a carnivore diet, you must work with your doctor to adjust medications — ideally before you begin.

The risk is not that the diet will not work. The risk is that it will work too well, too fast, while you are still taking medications designed to lower blood sugar. This can cause dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can be life-threatening.

Medications that carry the highest risk of hypoglycemia when combined with a sudden carbohydrate reduction:

• Insulin (all types) — doses often need to be reduced by 50% or more within the first week
• Sulfonylureas (glipizide, glyburide, glimepiride) — these stimulate insulin release regardless of blood sugar level and are particularly dangerous
• Meglitinides (repaglinide, nateglinide) — similar mechanism to sulfonylureas

Metformin is generally safer as it does not cause hypoglycemia on its own, but doses may still need adjustment as blood sugar normalizes.

The bottom line: tell your doctor before starting. If your doctor is not supportive, find one who is experienced with low-carbohydrate approaches to diabetes management. Organizations like the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners maintain directories of low-carb-informed physicians.

What About Type 1 Diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Unlike type 2, it is not caused by insulin resistance (though insulin resistance can develop as a secondary issue).

People with type 1 diabetes can follow a carnivore diet, but the considerations are different:

• Basal insulin is still required. The body cannot produce insulin, so exogenous insulin remains necessary.
• Basal doses often decrease as carbohydrate intake drops and insulin sensitivity improves.
• Bolus (mealtime) insulin may become minimal or unnecessary since protein produces a much smaller and slower glucose response than carbohydrate.
• The risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) must be monitored. Nutritional ketosis (normal on a carnivore diet) is distinct from DKA, but type 1 diabetics are uniquely susceptible to DKA if insulin doses are too low. Regular ketone monitoring is essential during the transition.
• Dr. Richard Bernstein, himself a type 1 diabetic and author of Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution, has advocated for very low-carbohydrate diets for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes for over 40 years, demonstrating that tight glucose control is achievable.

Type 1 diabetics following a carnivore diet should work with an endocrinologist experienced in low-carbohydrate management.

Does Protein Raise Blood Sugar Through Gluconeogenesis?

A common concern is that high protein intake on a carnivore diet will raise blood sugar through gluconeogenesis (GNG) — the process by which the liver converts amino acids into glucose.

The key insight is that gluconeogenesis is a demand-driven process, not a supply-driven one. Eating more protein does not force the liver to produce more glucose. The liver produces glucose at a rate determined by the body’s needs, primarily regulated by the hormones insulin and glucagon.

Think of it like a thermostat. The liver maintains blood sugar within a narrow range regardless of how much protein you eat. If blood sugar is adequate, the liver does not ramp up glucose production just because extra amino acids are available.

CGM data from carnivore dieters consistently confirms this. Large protein meals (a pound or more of steak) produce minimal blood sugar fluctuation — typically less than a 10 to 15 mg/dL rise, compared to the 40 to 80+ mg/dL spike from a moderate carbohydrate meal.

That said, very large protein meals can produce a modest, slow glucose rise in some individuals, particularly those with significant insulin resistance. This is generally not clinically significant and improves as insulin sensitivity recovers.

What Does the Research Say About Low-Carb Diets and Diabetes?

While no large randomized controlled trial has studied the carnivore diet specifically for diabetes, the evidence for very low-carbohydrate diets (which include carnivore) is robust:

• The American Diabetes Association recognized low-carbohydrate diets as a valid approach for type 2 diabetes management in their 2019 consensus report.
• A 2020 meta-analysis in the BMJ found that low-carbohydrate diets achieved diabetes remission at six months at higher rates than other dietary approaches.
• The Virta Health trial demonstrated 60% type 2 diabetes reversal at one year and sustained improvements at two years on a ketogenic diet.
• A 2021 systematic review in the British Medical Journal concluded that low-carbohydrate diets were the most effective dietary approach for improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes.

The carnivore diet is at the extreme end of carbohydrate restriction, which suggests it may produce the most dramatic blood sugar improvements — but also requires the most careful medication management.

Practical Steps for Managing Blood Sugar on Carnivore

• Talk to your doctor first — medication adjustments are essential and potentially lifesaving
• Get a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) if possible — the real-time data is invaluable during the transition
• Check HbA1c before starting and retest at 90 days
• Monitor for hypoglycemia symptoms — shakiness, sweating, confusion, rapid heartbeat — especially in the first two weeks
• Eat adequate fat and protein — under-eating can cause additional blood sugar instability
• Track your progress — blood sugar logs, HbA1c, fasting insulin, and weight. A good tracking app can help.
• Be patient — insulin sensitivity recovery is gradual. HbA1c reflects a three-month average.
• Expect the adaptation period — the first two to four weeks involve metabolic adjustment as your body shifts from glucose to fat as its primary fuel

The carnivore diet is not the only way to manage diabetes, but its extreme carbohydrate restriction makes it one of the most effective dietary tools for blood sugar control. When combined with medical supervision, it offers many type 2 diabetics a realistic path to remission.

For a full introduction to starting the diet, see our carnivore diet beginner’s guide.

For more science-backed articles on the carnivore diet, visit our Carnivore Diet Science hub page.