A Russian vegan influencer with millions of followers on social media recently “died of starvation” at the age of 39 in Malaysia, the New York Post reported.
For the past four years, Zhanna Samsonova, known as Zhanna D’Art, adhered to a “completely raw vegan diet,” primarily consisting of “fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies and juices,” according to the New York Post.
Vegan raw food diet influencer Zhanna D’art dies of ‘starvation’: report https://t.co/1yd9FIEOOS pic.twitter.com/pkHLKqqnkh
— New York Post (@nypost) July 31, 2023
The influencer drew inspiration from observing her peers’ unhealthy lifestyles, which prompted Zhanna to embrace a strict raw foods regimen, the outlet reported.
The social media star used her platforms to propagate her vegan food philosophy, declaring, “I love my new me, and never move on to the habits that I used to use,” the outlet noted.
However, concerns about Zhanna’s health began to surface when a friend observed her “exhausted” demeanor and “swollen legs” during her time in Sri Lanka a few months prior, the outlet noted. (RELATED: Jury Convicts Mother Of Starving Her Son To Death With Diet)
Despite efforts to persuade Zhanna to seek medical assistance for her unwavering dietary habits and severe malnutrition, “she didn’t make it.” the outlet noted. One friend, who “lived one floor above her,” constantly “feared finding her lifeless body in the morning,” per the Post.
While Zhanna’s mother has publicly linked her death to a “cholera-like infection,” the official cause remains undisclosed, per the Post.
A strict vegan diet can present numerous deficiencies in essential nutrients like calcium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B12, per the Post. In a recently published study, all participants following a raw vegan diet consumed less than the recommended 2.4 mcg of Vitamin B12 per day, according to the Journal of Nutrition.
Ultimately, one friend confessed, “Zhanna’s idle stagnation was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed everything was fine,” the outlet reported.