Podcast Summary: Digital Social Hour

Episode: Robert Kiltz: The Fertility Crisis EXPLAINED. Why Today’s Diet Is Making Us Infertile | DSH #1655

Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Dr. Robert Kiltz
Date: December 4, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Sean Kelly welcomes Dr. Robert Kiltz, a renowned fertility specialist and leading advocate of the carnivore diet, to discuss today’s alarming fertility crisis. Dr. Kiltz dives deep into the reasons behind rising infertility rates, the role of diet and environmental factors, the controversy around plant-based nutrition, and the state and future of reproductive technologies such as IVF. Delivering bold, sometimes unconventional insights, Dr. Kiltz challenges mainstream health paradigms and shares personal and clinical experiences that reframe the conversation around fertility, diet, and human health.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Fertility Crisis: Causes and Trends

• Growing Infertility: Dr. Kiltz emphasizes that infertility, miscarriage, and delayed childbearing are more prevalent than ever ([00:53]).
  • "More and more people are suffering from infertility, miscarriage, the postponing, the childbearing. But I think there's a lot more going on that's causing the problem." – Dr. Kiltz [00:53]
• Notably, unexplained ("idiopathic") infertility is common, with patients trying unsuccessfully for years ([01:58]).

2. The Impact of Modern Lifestyles

• Cycle Issues: Dr. Kiltz details how common conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis—linked to inflammatory and metabolic disorders—are growing and causing irregular cycles or even years without periods ([03:41]).
• Dietary Shift: Modern diets high in carbohydrates and low in fat, coupled with frequent eating (three to six meals daily), are framed as unnatural and harmful to fertility ([03:41], [07:30]).
  • "We're eating three to six meals a day, which is not natural to our species." – Dr. Kiltz [03:41]

3. Environmental Toxins

• Role of Plastics and Pollutants: Exposure to plastics, pesticides, heavy metals, and home & beauty products adversely affect reproductive health ([04:21]).
• Food Supply Chain: Even supposedly “clean” foods may harbor microplastics or toxins due to globalized supply chains ([05:43]).
• Plant Defense Mechanisms: Dr. Kiltz asserts that plants produce natural pesticides to deter consumption, which can negatively impact human health ([06:29]).

4. Diet, Inflammation, and Disease

• Plant-Based Diet Critique: Dr. Kiltz links plant-based (especially vegan) diets to increased immunologic and metabolic inflammation, higher rates of diabetes, and impaired fertility ([06:34]–[07:25]).
  • "I believe that the plant-based diet is causing a lot of damage to the gut and to every cell of our body. And it shows up in reproductive dysfunction." – Dr. Kiltz [06:34]
• Fasting and Ketosis: He argues that increasing dietary fat, reducing meal frequency (ideally to one meal a day), and fasting can counter-act inflammation and improve health—even for vegans and vegetarians ([07:30]–[08:33]).
  • Dr. Kiltz describes his own routine: “I do a two to three day fast every month. I do a five to seven day fast quarterly. And I typically eat only one meal a day at night.” ([11:49])

5. The Carnivore Diet and Personal Experience

• Long-term Carnivore: Dr. Kiltz shares 15 years on a carnivore diet, maintaining his high school weight and robust health nearing age 70; he does light exercise only ([12:15]–[12:38]).
• Argues that ancient humans ate primarily carnivore diets, with plants as seasonal supplements ([12:53], [14:03]).
• Medical Community & Paradigm: Despite opposition from mainstream health authorities, Kiltz insists that red meat is a superior, sustainable dietary foundation ([14:03]–[14:52]).

6. Changing Minds & Evidence from Practice

• Mindfulness and Patient Experience: Transitioning his practice to incorporate meditation and mindfulness led to improved fertility; however, patient success on paleo and carnivore diets prompted deeper investigation into diet as root cause ([15:51]–[16:23]).
• Reports “tremendous improvement” in reproductive and overall health among patients who switch from plant-based to meat-based diets ([06:34]).

7. Processed Food, Cooking, and Raw Diets

• Cooking Alters Nutrition: Claims that cooking meat (especially well-done) denatures its nutrients and destroys valuable fats ([19:10]).
• Celebrates animal fats (from butter to marbled beef) and discourages plant-based oils, labeling them as "industrial products" ([19:40]).
• Points to historic studies (e.g., Pottenger’s Cats) suggesting raw meat and fat boost health over cooked alternatives ([18:36]–[19:10]).

8. Plants as Active Agents

• Plants' “Intelligence”: Dr. Kiltz postulates plants are “smarter than you and I” and have evolved sophisticated defense against consumption, including harmful phytochemicals ([20:35]–[20:57]).
• Cautions that the same plants produce potent drugs: “Where does heroin, cocaine, marijuana, nicotine and caffeine come from? Plants.” ([22:45])

9. Pharmaceutical Approach vs Environmental Change

• Modern Technology: Acknowledges advances like CRISPR gene editing and robotic IVF, but warns these are costly and out of reach for many ([25:02]–[27:45]).
• Advocates for focusing first on affordable, lifestyle-based solutions before relying on high-tech medicine ([25:22]).

10. IVF and Reproductive Medicine Today

• Describes CNY Fertility’s approach: affordability ($5,000/cycle vs $15–30,000 elsewhere), use of telemedicine, and personalized care ([28:42]–[30:11]).
• Notes that IVF success rates remain around 30–40% per cycle ([29:16]).

11. Sustainability, Regenerative Farming, and Food Quality

• Champions regenerative agriculture and knowing the source and fate of your food ([31:13]–[32:50]).
• Endorses animal fats as the "healthiest thing we can, we can eat" ([34:05]).

12. Fat, Sugar, and the Science of Obesity

• Dismantles the narrative that obesity is the cause of disease; instead, identifies plant-derived sugars and a focus on leanness as harmful, citing evolutionary rationale ([41:23]–[42:35]).
  • "Is obesity the cause of disease?... No way...Bears gain a thousand pounds and hibernate and gestate. They lose no muscle mass, no bone mass. But they grow one to four baby bears. They've lost only one thing, fat." – Dr. Kiltz [41:40]
• Describes how misinformation and economic incentives have shaped public health messaging ([44:56]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Modern Dietary Paradigms:
  • "We're addicted to the plants because plants actually control you. You do all the work for them..." – Dr. Kiltz [00:00, repeated at 23:44]
• On Unexplained Infertility:
  • "We don't know, it's called unspecified or idiopathic infertility. And I always say that means we're idiots. We're not digging deep listening and learning what might be the factors causing that." – Dr. Kiltz [01:58]
• On Healthy Eating and Simplicity:
  • “When you make the food at home, it's healthier than ever.” – Dr. Kiltz [18:22]
• On Fasting and Evolution:
  • “I'm a big fasting fan. I think fasting is historically our evolutionary set point because … it took days to find food.” – Dr. Kiltz [08:35]
• On Obesity:
  • "Is obesity the cause of disease?... No way." – Dr. Kiltz [41:40]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Fertility Crisis Explained: [00:53]–[02:31]
• Diet, Ovulation, and PCOS: [03:41]–[04:17]
• Environmental Toxins: [04:21]–[06:29]
• Plant-Based Diet Critique: [06:34]–[07:30]
• Fats, Fasting, and Carnivore: [07:30]–[11:49]
• Carnivore as Lifestyle: [12:10]–[14:03]
• Medical Paradigms and Change: [14:03]–[16:23]
• Cooked vs. Raw Diets: [18:36]–[19:10]
• Plant Defense & Phytochemicals: [20:35]–[22:45]
• Pharmaceuticals & Tech in Reproduction: [25:02]–[27:45]
• IVF and Access: [28:42]–[30:11]
• Regenerative Farming and Fat Emphasis: [31:13]–[34:47]
• Dismantling Obesity Narrative: [41:23]–[42:35]
• Medical Community and Health Messaging: [44:56]–[45:06]

Summary of Tone & Takeaways

• Dr. Kiltz’s tone is forthright, deeply knowledgeable, sometimes provocative—unapologetically challenging standard advice about “healthy” diets and the causes for infertility.
• He remains open about his own dietary journey, clinical uncertainties, and the limitations of both traditional and modern medicine.
• Sean Kelly maintains a curious, occasionally astonished demeanor, helping to clarify complex ideas for listeners.

Where to Find Dr. Kiltz

• Website: drkilts.com
• Instagram: @dr.kilts
• Clinic: CNY Fertility Centers

This summary covers all the main topics, provides direct insights and quotes, and highlights memorable moments—useful for anyone seeking an in-depth guide to the episode’s rich content.