The popular carnivore diet can lead to scurvy

The controversial diet - which consists of only meat, fish and other animal products - has proved a sensation on TikTok with almost 100 million videos shared but a health specialist has warned of the devastating medical consequences.

Bowel nurse Jane Clarke said: "Meat, eggs and butter all contain a whole heap of essential vitamins, that much is true. However, what these meatfluencers are leaving out is all the things your body needs that this restrictive diet doesn't contain."

Scurvy is an archaic illness associated with pirates who lacked a supply of fruit and vegetables at sea, and the removal of vitamin C in the carnivore diet presents a renewed risk of the disease.

Clarke said: "Cutting out crucial sources of vitamin C is likely to leave a serious dent in your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and other viruses.

"Vitamin C is essential for both collagen synthesis and immune function.

"An absence of vitamin C in the diet can lead to scurvy. Scurvy will leave you too exhausted for the gym and could lead to you losing your teeth."

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