Influencers Who Died Following Extreme Diets, How It Can Pose A Threat To Your Health

Influencers Who Died Following Extreme Diets, How It Can Pose A Threat To Your Health (Image Credits: iStock)

In the age of social media, influencers often play a significant role in promoting various lifestyle choices, including fitness routines and diets. While many followers attempt these diets in hopes of achieving fast results, some influencers have tragically lost their lives due to the extreme diets they followed. Here we have listed five influencers who lost their lives due to following extreme dietary regimens.

Zhanna Samsonova (Age 39)

Zhanna Samsonova, a popular vegan influencer, tragically passed away at the age of 39 after allegedly following a strict raw vegan diet for several years. She was known for advocating a diet primarily consisting of raw fruits and vegetables, with little to no intake of protein or fats. Zhanna’s death reportedly resulted from malnutrition and multiple organ failure, which doctors attributed to her extreme diet.

Studies have shown that while plant-based diets can be beneficial when balanced, excessively restrictive diets like raw veganism can lead to nutrient deficiencies. For instance, a 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association highlighted that extreme vegan diets lacking essential nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids can cause long-term health complications, including irreversible nerve damage and organ failure.

Linda Stasi (Age 40)

Fitness and diet influencer Linda Stasi, aged 40, promoted a diet that involved consuming only water, fruits, and a limited number of supplements. Her followers admired her slim physique and dedication to fasting, but her extreme diet eventually led to fatal consequences. Linda collapsed after experiencing severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance due to prolonged fasting. Her death highlighted the risks of extreme caloric restriction and unbalanced electrolyte levels.

According to research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), fasting and severely restricting caloric intake can lead to dangerous health issues like electrolyte imbalances, which may result in life-threatening heart arrhythmias or sudden cardiac arrest. The body’s organs rely on balanced electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, to function properly.

Michelle Mohr (Age 33)

Michelle Mohr, a fitness influencer known for promoting the ketogenic diet (keto), died at age 33 due to complications from an overly strict keto regimen. The ketogenic diet involves consuming high fats, moderate proteins, and minimal carbohydrates to induce ketosis—a metabolic state where the body burns fat for fuel. Michelle took the keto lifestyle to an extreme, limiting her carb intake to dangerous levels.

While the keto diet has proven short-term benefits for weight loss, long-term adherence, especially without medical supervision, can lead to serious health problems. A 2019 study published in the Lancet Public Health Journal found that very low-carb diets may increase the risk of mortality, largely due to nutrient deficiencies and cardiovascular risks caused by an excess of saturated fats.

Nasim Najafi Aghdam (Age 38)

Nasim Aghdam, a fitness influencer and advocate for fruitarianism (a diet primarily focused on fruits), passed away at age 38 after suffering from severe malnutrition. Aghdam’s extreme fruit-based diet left her severely deficient in essential vitamins and minerals. The lack of sufficient protein, fats, and diverse nutrients weakened her immune system and led to fatal complications.

A study in Frontiers in Nutrition revealed that fruitarian diets, while rich in certain vitamins like vitamin C, lack critical nutrients such as protein, calcium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, making the body vulnerable to malnutrition, muscle wasting, and immune system failure.

Brittany Morgan (Age 29)

Brittany Morgan, an influencer promoting the “dry fasting” trend, died at the age of 29 after attempting an extended dry fast. Dry fasting involves abstaining from both food and water for extended periods, a practice that some believe can “detoxify” the body. However, the scientific evidence points to severe dangers, including dehydration, kidney damage, and death.

A Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics study in 2020 emphasized that while intermittent fasting can have benefits when done under medical supervision, extreme practices like dry fasting can lead to fatal dehydration and acute kidney failure. The lack of hydration strains the kidneys, leading to electrolyte imbalances and other organ failure.

How Can Extreme Diet Pose A Threat To Your Health?

We got in touch with Ms Parmeet Kaur, Head and Chief – Nutritionist and Dietician, at Marengo Asia Hospitals Gurugram who shares how extreme diets can pose a threat to your health.

Following extreme diets looks attractive to people who want to lose weight quickly or see significant physical changes because they frequently offer quick results. Usually, these diets demand drastically reducing the number of calories consumed, cutting out whole food groups, or consuming an uneven combination of nutrients, explains Dt Parmeet. Here’s how it can pose a risk to your health:

1. Health Risks Associated with Severe Caloric Restriction:

People who drastically reduce their caloric intake run the risk of developing a number of health concerns, such as heart difficulties, weakened immune systems, and malnutrition. In a well-known case, an influencer followed a very low-calorie diet, which caused serious electrolyte imbalances and dehydration that ultimately led to cardiac arrest.

2. Extreme diets can deprive people of vital nutrients:

Those who adopted a rigid diet that excluded several food groups experienced significant vitamin shortages that eventually resulted in organ failure and death. These deficits have the potential to compromise organ function, erode the body’s defences, and create potentially fatal situations.

3. Metabolic Disruptions:

Severe dieting can cause serious dehydration and electrolyte imbalances by upsetting the body’s natural metabolic processes.

Severe diets can result in several health problems:

1. Nutrient imbalances: The body needs a balanced diet that includes the right amounts of lipids, proteins, carbs, vitamins, and minerals. Severe nutritional imbalances may result from extreme diets that eliminate entire food groups or sharply limit calories. For example, low levels of critical fatty acids can affect hormone production and brain function.

2. Slowing Down of Metabolism: When the body reaches a starvation state, severe calorie restriction can cause the metabolism to slow down. Weight maintenance may become more difficult after regular eating resumes due to weariness, a loss of muscle mass, and a lower capacity to burn calories.

3. Heart Health: By producing electrolyte imbalances, dehydration, and impaired muscular function, extreme diets can put a load on the heart. Extended calorie restriction raises the risk of heart failure by causing low blood pressure and a dangerously sluggish heart rate.

4. Impact on Mental Health: Severe dieting may have negative effects on one’s mental state. Anxiety, melancholy, and disordered eating habits can result from the stress of adhering to a strict diet. Deficits in certain nutrients can also have a negative impact on mood and thinking.

How To Live A Healthy Lifestyle?

Extreme diets can be alluring, but maintaining good health requires a balanced strategy. The following advice can help you lead a healthier lifestyle:

– Speak with doctors: It is crucial to speak with medical professionals, such as a certified dietitian or a doctor, before beginning any new diet or exercise program. Based on each person’s unique health needs and objectives, they can offer tailored advice.

– Concentrate on Nutrition: Try to eat a varied range of whole foods as part of a balanced diet. To make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need, include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats in your diet.

– Make Achievable Health Goals: Rather than chasing shortcuts, make attainable health goals. Make long-term, sustainable changes to your diet and exercise regimen by starting small.

– Pay Attention to Your Body: Observe your body’s reaction to food modifications. Feelings like exhaustion, lightheadedness, or mood fluctuations could indicate that your diet isn’t providing you with enough nutrients.

– Encourage Healthy Body Image: Adopt a positive body image and avoid comparing yourself to other people, especially influencers who might not always lead a healthy lifestyle.