Vegan raw food influencer Zhanna D’Art dies of starvation at 39: Report

1 August 2023 05:48 pm Views - 6444

Vegan influencer Zhanna Samsonova, a Russian national, has died reportedly of starvation after years of following an entirely raw vegan diet. She was 39.

According to the New York Post, the foodfluencer who went by the name Zhanna D’Art on social media platforms died on July 21 after seeking medical treatment during a tour in Southeast Asia.

She frequently promoted raw foods on social media and had been following a completely raw vegan diet for at least four years. She lived on eating only "fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies and juices."

Samsonova’s mother attributed her daughter’s death to a “cholera-like infection.” However, her official cause of death has not been declared. Her family is awaiting a medical report and a death certificate that will determine the cause of her death.

“A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted, with swollen legs oozing lymph,” an unidentified friend told Newsflash. “They sent her home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified,” the friend added.

“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,” a friend said as quoted by the New York Post.

Zhanna was reportedly inspired by seeing “peers” who looked a lot older than their ages, which she attributed to their junk food diets.

"I see my body and mind transform every day," Zhanna had said while describing her restrictive eating regimen. "I love my new me, and never move on to the habits that I used to use." (India Today)