Vegan influencer allegedly 'dies of starvation'

A Russian social media influencer who used to promote a vegan diet and lifestyle has reportedly died of starvation. The woman, identified as Zhanna Samsonova, was known as Zhanna D'Art to her followers.

The 39-year-old woman died in Malaysia on July 21. She had been following a raw vegan diet for at least 10 years. Her diet consisted of fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, smoothies, and juices.

"A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted. I lived one floor above her, and every day I feared finding her lifeless body in the morning. I convinced her to seek treatment, but she didn't make it," The Sun quoted one of her friends as saying.

"Zhanna's idle stagnation was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed everything was fine. Only her eyes, merry eyes, and gorgeous hair compensated for the dreadful sight of a body tortured by idiocy. Forgive me if it sounds harsh," she added.

Meanwhile, her mother has claimed that Samsonova died of a "cholera-like infection." However, the official cause of death has not yet been revealed.

A vegan diet entails eating plant-based products. It does not include meat, fish, or dairy products like cheese and milk. However, experts believe that such a diet can cause nutrient deficiencies in the body.

In 2018, a similar incident was reported when a YouTuber who claimed that her vegan lifestyle cured her breast cancer died from the disease.

The woman, identified as Mari Lopez, had a YouTube channel with her niece, Liz Johnson. She used to talk about her journey in these videos and claimed that it was her vegan lifestyle that helped her fight the disease. However, she eventually succumbed to the disease after it spread to her blood, liver, and lungs.

"My aunt passed away in December because her cancer came back... [She] was inconsistent in her diet and spiritual life," Johnson had said then. "My aunt didn't continue juicing [or her] raw vegan diet when she got diagnosed again; she chose to do radiation and chemo."

She added: "People have sent me many emails about positive changes after juicing, and some have told me that they chose to do chemo."

"Some are still alive, and unfortunately, some are not. We never claimed that this would 100% work for everyone." The videos on their YouTube channel are still available. Several of these videos document Lopez's journey.

In 2020, a study titled "Vegetarian and vegan diets and risks of total and site-specific fractures" found that people who follow a vegan diet are at a higher risk of either total or a number of site-specific fractures.

In fact, Pescatarians (those who eat only fish but not meat) also face similar risks. Those who eat only dairy and/or eggs but no fish or meat are equally at risk, added the study. However, the risk for vegans was 2.3 times higher as compared to those who ate meat.

Last year, a vegan woman from Florida was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her 18-month-old son. The 38-year-old woman, identified as Sheila O'Leary, was convicted in 2021.

She had been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse, and two counts of child neglect. The woman, whose family also followed a strict vegan diet, fed her son only raw vegetables, fruits, and breast milk.

The boy only weighed 17 pounds and was the size of a 7-month-old baby when he died in September 2019. While the average weight of a boy aged 18 months should be 10.9 kg (24 lb. 1 oz).

According to the medical examiner, the boy's death was caused by complications resulting from malnutrition. The complications had affected the toddler's liver and caused swelling of the hands, feet, and lower legs.

Dieticians suggest that babies eat a combination of vegetables, fruit, grains, low-fat dairy, and quality protein sources.