It is among the oldest known illnesses in human history, but the people increasingly affected by it today may come as a surprise.
Long dismissed as the “disease of kings,” gout was once associated with monarchs and wealthy elites whose tables overflowed with red meat, lavish meals and fine wine.
Now, however, gout is shedding its royal reputation and emerging as a growing health concern for young men.
The condition is a painful type of arthritis that develops when uric acid builds up in the bloodstream. If levels climb too high, the acid can harden into sharp, needle-like crystals that settle in the joints — especially the big toe — causing abrupt attacks of intense pain, swelling and redness.
Gout cases among 10- to 24-year-olds have climbed by more than 20 percent in recent decades, while a 2024 study projected that the worldwide burden of the disease could increase by 70 percent by 2050.
Some experts are looking closely at the modern American diet, including the viral rise of the carnivore diet, a meat-heavy eating plan that has gained traction on social media among young men chasing weight loss and athletic performance.
The trend has become difficult to miss online, where “What I eat in a day” clips and dramatic “before and after” posts tagged with #carnivorediet have drawn hundreds of millions of views.
At the same time, red meat has become an even bigger staple of the American diet. Meat sales reached a record $112 billion in 2025, with Millennials and Gen Z helping drive the surge.
Gout is a painful form of arthritis and is increasingly showing up in younger adults
However, there’s a downside. Red meat is rich in purines – compounds that break down into uric acid, the substance that crystallizes in joints and triggers gout’s searing pain, rendering sufferers immobile.
‘I would call [the link between the carnivore diet and gout] a reasonable concern,’ Dr Mike Daniels, a Maryland-based podiatrist, told the Daily Mail. ‘Lately, it seems like I’m seeing more young men with gout, and I do think meat-heavy diets can be part of the story.’
Normally, the body filters out uric acid through the kidneys, but when levels get too high, the excess gathers in the joints, triggering sudden inflammation and pain, the hallmark of a gout attack.
The same excess uric acid that triggers gout can also form crystals in the kidneys, where they can cluster into stones. These stones can cause agonizing pain, nausea, and difficulty urinating as they pass through the urinary tract.
‘There exists case-based evidence that has raised red flags about increased uric acid and kidney stone risk after switching to all-meat-eating diets,’ Daniels added.
Gout cases have more than doubled globally since 1990, from roughly 22 million to 55.8 million in 2020, according to that same 2024 study published in the Lancet Rheumatology.
The US saw a sharper rise, with cases surging 76.6 percent during that period.
And it’s young men bearing the brunt. They are more than four times as likely to have gout as young women, and the gap is widening. The latest data from 2025 also found that wealthier countries have the highest rates, with the US and Canada topping the list, according to Global Burden of Disease data published in 2025.
Males with gout are more likely to have diets high in seafood, beef, pork and alcohol, that study said.
Brian Johnson, known as the Liver King, built a following showing off his raw carnivore diet
Just as the incidence of gout continues to rise, so too is the American appetite for meat.
The meat industry had a record year in 2025, reaching $111.9 billion in sales. Beef led the way with $45 billion, and Millennials and Gen Z drove much of the growth.
Nearly 80 percent of shoppers now believe meat is part of a healthy diet, up sharply since 2020, and 45 percent are actively trying to prepare more meals with meat or poultry.
Along with social media platforms, online forums and comment sections are full of threads in which carnivore diet devotees discuss their experiences with gout flare-ups and how to avoid them.
One Reddit user said: ‘I did a few years ago, went full carnivore with frequent organ meats etc. Felt amazing for the first week and then had [the worst] gout attack I’ve ever had.
‘Usually it attacks one joint, but this attack got both knees, both wrists and even the back of my neck.
‘My rheumatologist suggested it was likely temporary, and if I kept going my body would sort it out, but I wasn’t fully committed to long-term eating like this and decided to stop.’
Another wrote on a separate forum: ‘Love carnivore, but my uric levels increase when on strict Carnivore. Knuckles, feet, ankles, shoulders, knees all hurt.’
RFK Jr and Donald Trump have encouraged people to include more red meat in their diet
A third wrote on Reddit: ‘My dad started carnivore with me about two months ago, and he is getting debilitating gout attacks. We rushed him to the [doctor] now and he’ll get meds.’
‘Maybe it affects everyone differently but starting a carnivore diet is what got me diagnosed with gout,’ a fourth added.
A meta-analysis in 2018 found that red meat consumption is linked to a 29 percent higher risk of gout, and early-onset gout patients – defined as those diagnosed before age 40 – have been shown to consume significantly more red meat than those who develop the condition later in life.
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A 2022 study of 655 gout patients found that early-onset cases differed significantly from later-onset cases.
Those diagnosed before 40 had higher uric acid levels, were nearly three times more likely to be obese and consumed more red meat; 44 percent ate 101 to 200 grams daily versus 26 percent of later-onset patients.
Occasional red meat one to two times per week is likely fine for most people, daily consumption, especially in large portions, significantly increases risk.
‘Anybody who has a strong family history of gout, chronic kidney disease (CKD), or poor renal function has a much greater baseline risk,’ Dr Chad Larson, a California-based naturopathic doctor, told the Daily Mail.
‘It is possible that for those individuals, implementing a meat-heavy diet without close monitoring via blood tests would rapidly exacerbate both the development of kidney stones and damage to joints prior to when symptoms occur.’
Up until January 2026, US dietary guidelines recommended replacing foods high in saturated fats, such as red meat, with plant-based foods, without providing a specific weekly red meat limit.
However, the new 2025-2030 guidelines released by HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr have turned that approach on its head, placing red meat, cheese, and other proteins at the top of a newly inverted food pyramid.
This shift ‘ends the war on saturated fats,’ in Kennedy’s words and encourages Americans to prioritize protein-rich foods like red meat and full-fat dairy in every meal.
A telltale sign for people with gout often comes through a sharp pain in the big toe
There is an ever-widening gap between the policies set forth by established medical groups like the American Heart Association and those endorsed by RFK Jr, who has long promoted red meat as a staple of one’s diet.
The AHA rebuffed Trump Administration attempts to upend the food pyramid – literally, by inverting it and placing a big slab of steak and a tray of ground beef at the wider top – by emphasizing more plant-based proteins.
The good news is that gout is preventable. Simple changes, like reducing red meat, cutting back on alcohol and sugary drinks, and drinking plenty of water, can make a significant difference.
‘Diet and lifestyle changes are the first line of defense,’ Daniels said. ‘Gout doesn’t have to be inevitable.’
