KUALA LUMPUR: A vegan influencer from Russia reportedly died of starvation in Malaysia on July 21 after following a strict vegan diet of fruits and juices.
Zhanna Samsonova, 39, was an active promoter of raw vegan food, is said to have died after seeking medical treatment during her Southeast Asia tour, international news reported.
Known as Zhanna D'Art by her social media followers, the deceased's friends say her diet had become worryingly restrictive and claim that she has only eaten durian for the last seven years.
"A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted, with swollen legs oozing lymph," the friend was quoted as saying.
Another claim that she only ate a "completely raw vegan diet" for the last four years, consuming just "fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies, and juices."
Zhanna's last Instagram post on June 10 which showcased her eating Malaysia's king of fruits durian had followers arguing that it was the raw vegan diet that led to her demise.
User @lidderlid claims that based on a coroner's report, it was stated that Zhanna died of a cholera-type disease that was exacerbated by her severe malnourishment and starvation.
"Her body was unable to fight off any infection even with medical support as she was severely anorexic," the user said.
"She might have had an eating disorder but raw veganism killed her. Stop denying the dangers of veganism," user @vinzentprice said.
Replying to his comment, user @j_leew said: "It wasn't veganism. She ate raw fruit alone. Very different from a vegan diet."