Russian vegan influencer's sudden death shocks friends, raises concern over extreme diets

Zhanna Samsonova, a 39-year-old Russian food influencer known for following a rigid diet regimen, has tragically passed away in Malaysia. According to the Russian TV channel RTVi, Samsonova was undergoing treatment at a local clinic and passed away last month.

The RTVi report said that Samsonova followed and promoted a completely raw and vegan diet and was eating only uncooked food including fruits, smoothies, and juices for the past five years. She was surviving on just fruits, sprouted sunflower seeds, and juices for four years before dying.

Her friends and family announced the news of her death on social media. The influencer's mother, Vera Samsonova, told Vechernyaya Kazan (a Russian newspaper) that her daughter died due to a "cholera-like infection". Although, the official cause of her death has not been ascertained, her mother said that Samsonova's death could be linked to her vegan diet.

Vera was against Zhanna's raw vegan diet and would urge her to stop but to no avail. The blogger initially ate fish and dairy products but later switched to a completely raw and vegan diet. While she did not complain about her health, Samsonova caught an intestinal infection this year, as per the newspaper.

One of Samsonova’s acquaintances recalled her “exhausted” condition when she was in Sri Lanka, reported the New York Post. “A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted, with swollen legs oozing lymph,” the report quoted the friend.

The person added, “They sent her home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified.”

Samsonova’s friend said, “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”.

Zhanna Samsonova was originally from Russia but had moved to South-East Asia, according to the Daily Mail.

In one of her Instagram posts, dated November 8, 2021, Samsonova described herself as a “vegan food lover” who discovered the “raw, plant-based lifestyle” in 2011. She wrote that after a “few months of experimenting on a raw vegan diet”, she was “convinced of the power of fresh fruits and vegetables”.

• UAE summer: 9 tips for residents to keep hydrated

• Lifestyle