Zhanna Samsonova, a vegan influencer, allegedly died from starvation after she consumed a diet consisting of only exotic fruit in Malaysia, according to her family and friends.
The 39-year-old Russian national frequently promoted raw diets on social media and had millions of viewers on different social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
She reportedly died on the 21st of July after being treated in a medical facility while she was in Southeast Asia.
Samsonova Followed a Fruit-Only Raw Vegan Diet & Looked Exhausted
A friend of the influencer who wished to remain anonymous said that when he saw Zhanna several months ago in Sri Lanka, she appeared very tired. Her legs were swollen and oozing lymph. This is when they sent her home so that she finds treatment.
But, she didn’t want to do this and ran away again. Her friend told the media that when she was in Phuket and he saw her, she looked terrifying.
Her friend lived a floor above her and every day he was in fear that he would find her lifeless body in the morning. He tried to convince her to ask for medical help, but she always refused.
Samsonova seemed happy with her diet choice and results. She once stated that she sees her body and mind transforming every day. She said she loves her “new her” and that she will never go back to her habits from the past.
But, none of her family and friends seemed to believe her. Samsonova’s mom said her daughter passed because of a cholera-like infection. But, there’s no official confirmation of the cause of death of the vegan influencer yet.
The Kasan native was a proponent of raw vegan diets and claimed that during the past four years, she consumed fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, juices, and fruit smoothies only.
After her passing, another of her friends stated that for the past seven years, the influencer had only consumed the giant sweet jackfruit and durian, a spiky and mace-like fruit known for the horrible smell and the custardy meat.
According to the influencer’s statements, her raw food regimen was inspired by other peers who looked a lot older than their actual ages and this is something she attributed to their diets full of junk foods.
But, her closest people believe that the so-called healthy food choices she made were the culprits for her death.
One of her friends stated that you needn’t be a doctor to realize where such a diet leads. The influencer’s idle stagnation made her melt in front of their eyes, but she thought everything was okay.
But, it wasn’t. Her eyes and lovely hair transformed into a dreadful body “tortured by idiocy”, said her friends.
The Health Benefits & Dangers of Raw Vegan Diets
Raw food diets are praised for a long list of health advantages such as weight loss, better cardiovascular health, and a lower risk of diabetes; however, there are negative sides as well, particularly if it’s not balanced well or if it’s not properly planned out.
When this happens, such diets can lead to vitamin D and calcium deficiencies that cause a decline in the strength of the bones.
Moreover, the levels of vitamin B12 may also drop and contribute to anemia, infertility, nervous system damage, and even heart illness.
In a study published in the Nutrition journal, it was concluded that 100 percent of the participants who followed a raw vegan diet consumed less than the 2.4 mcg RDA of vitamin B12.
Despite the possible negative effects of this diet, a lot of Samsonova’s followers refuse to believe it was her diet choices that caused her death and claim she was killed by the chemicals in the fruits she consumed.
The influencer’s family is waiting for the medical report and a death certificate to learn more about the reason for her death.
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