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A vegan influencer's extreme diet of only raw fruit, the occasional vegetable and a commitment to never drinking water may have led to her starving to death, her friends say.
Russian-born Zhanna Samsonova (39), who was known as Zhanna D’Art to her 20 000 Instagram followers, died in hospital in Malaysia on 21 July.
Her mother, Vera Samsonova, said Zhanna had caught a "cholera-like" infection before she'd been due to fly home to Russia from a trip to Southeast Asia.
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Her family is awaiting the findings of an autopsy to establish her cause of death, but her mother and friends believe that while she may have died from the infection, it may have been exacerbated by starvation and exhaustion brought on by her extreme diet.
Vera “fought for years” with Zhanna to convince her daughter that her body needed more than fruit to survive, but Zhanna was stubborn and believed “plants have all the power we need”.
Zhanna spent the last 17 years living in Thailand and travelling around Asia. Twelve years ago she discovered the raw plant-based lifestyle diet and switched to it from veganism.
After 10 years of eating raw plant-based foods, she said she was "in perfect health," claiming never to get ill.
On her social media profiles, she promoted her raw vegan meals and posted videos of her eating or drinking her meals.
Although she didn't have any background in nutrition, the raw vegan food chef, as she referred to herself on Instagram, regularly shared recipes with her followers.
“I had discovered the powerful results of knowing how to maximise nutrition in every meal, whilst still reveling in the delicious pleasure of preparing and eating clean, living foods. My goal is to share it with as many people as possible so they too could reap the positive impact of this lifestyle,” she posted.
Medical experts say that following a raw vegan diet without taking supplements can lead to a drop in vitamin B12, iodine, calcium and vitamin D.
It may not give the body enough protein and calories, and can lead to an array of health issues, including tooth decay and fertility issues.
Zhanna also believed in dry fasting – going days without eating or drinking anything. In 2021, she arrived home in Russia after nine years away and contracted Covid-19.
She went on a 10-day dry fast, which she claimed defeated the virus, but her friends have said they believe she may have had anorexia.
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Olga Chernyaeva, one of Zhanna's friends, told Russian newspaper Novye Izvestia that she watched Zhanna slowly die over seven years.
“About five months ago I met Zhanna in Sri Lanka and she had a haggard look,” Olga recalls. “Her legs were swollen. I was amazed that she was still moving through the pain.”
Olga says that she tried to convince Zhanna to get medical help but her friend believed she was the healthiest she'd ever been.
“I showed her her body in the mirror and in photographs of past years. But Zhanna’s character wasn't simple. It was impossible to convince her of certain issues.”
In the final weeks of her life, the influencer was so weak she was practically bed-bound and it took her several minutes to walk up a single step on a staircase.
“I brought her fruit every morning. It was impossible to get her to eat something else. Nothing could convince her. Zhanna believed that death does not exist,” Olga said.
Her grief-stricken mother says Zhanna "chose this path.
"I fought for many years [but] she did not listen to her mother.”
SOURCES: THESUN.COM, NYPOST.COM, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, INSTAGRAM.COM, HEALTHLINE.COM
