Friends blame 'Malaysian exotic fruits' for Russian influencer’s death
SHAH ALAM - Vegan influencer Zhanna Samsonova has reportedly 'died of starvation' after living off only jackfruit and durian for the past seven years.
The Russian national — who frequently promoted raw foods on Tiktok, Facebook and Instagram as Zhanna D'Art reportedly died on July 21 after finally seeking medical treatment during a tour in Southeast Asia.
According to New York Post, the 39-year old whose diet was described as 'exclusively of exotic fruits in Malaysia' had gotten ill over the past few months and refused to seek treatment.
"A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted, with swollen legs, oozing lymph.
"They sent her home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified," an unidentified friend said.
Another friend, who lived one floor above her, said they feared finding her lifeless body in the morning.
"I convinced her to seek treatment, but she didn’t make it," the friend added.
However, Samsonova’s mother attributed her daughter’s passing to 'cholera-like infection' but this has yet to be officially declared.
The family is awaiting a medical report and a death certificate that will determine her official cause of death.
Samsonova had previously spoken about how her raw foods regimen was reportedly inspired by seeing 'peers' who looked a lot older than their age, which she attributed to their 'junk food' diets.
She used her social media platforms to spread her raw diet doctrine, describing: "I eat simple food, although I have a lot of experience as a raw food chef. I love creating my own recipes and inspiring people to eat healthier".
The Kasan native claimed that she ate a 'completely raw vegan diet' for the last four years, consuming just 'fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies and juices'.
"I see my body and mind transform every day. I love the new me, and never move on to the habits that I used to use," she would gushed when describing her eating regimen.
Samsonova’s friends unfortunately disagreed and believed that her 'healthy' food choices were to blame for her death.
"You don’t need to be a doctor to understand where this will lead. Zhanna’s idle stagnation was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed everything was fine," one friend told the post.
While a raw foods diet can have multiple health benefits such weight loss, improved heart health and a lower risk of diabetes — there are downsides to this practice especially if it was not planned well, according to Healthline.
Among them include deficiencies in calcium and Vitamin D, which are needed for strong bones.
This can also lead to suboptimal B12 levels, which can result in anemia, nervous system damage, infertility and, somewhat paradoxically, heart disease.
