Zhanna Samsonova reportedly ate only fruits and juices before being found dead in Malaysia
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Zhanna Samsonova, also known as Zhanna D'Art on social media, reportedly died of starvation due to her exclusive raw vegan diet of exotic fruits, seeds and juices.
During a tour of Southeast Asia, Samsonova’s friends claimed that she began seeking medical treatment at a clinic at one friend’s request, according to the New York Post, which attributed her death to starvation.
"A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted, with swollen legs oozing lymph," an anonymous friend claimed. "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."
Zhanna Samsonova's diet consisted of just "fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies and juices." (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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According to Samsonova’s social media, the influencer ate a "completely raw vegan diet" consisting only of "fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, fruit smoothies and juices."
A newspaper in Kazan, Russia, where she is from, reported that her mother, Vera Samsonova, has not been given official documentation yet, but was told her daughter’s death was caused by a "cholera-like infection." The mother believes her body was weakened by the vegan diet which may have been a contributing factor.
Though the cause of her death has not been finalized, Samsonova’s friends and followers have speculated that her vegan diet was a factor, according to the New York Post.
Though Samsonova's mother claimed that she died of a "cholera-like infection," her friends and followers have insisted that her diet was a factor. ((Photo by Mohamed Abdel Hamid/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))
"Zhanna’s idle stagnation was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed everything was fine," one person commented. "Only her eyes, merry eyes, and gorgeous hair compensated for the dreadful sight of a body tortured by idiocy. Forgive me if it sounds harsh."
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One friend claimed that for the last seven years, she only ate jackfruit and durian, "You don’t need to be a doctor to understand where this will lead."
Others have insisted that the chemicals in the fruits she ate were the main cause.
In 2022, a vegan diet led to the death of an 18-month-old boy in Florida. A jury convicted Sheila O’Leary of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse and two counts of child neglect after the boy died in his sleep in 2019.
In 2022, a Florida couple was arrested for the death of a child caused by a vegan diet. (iStock)
According to authorities, the boy’s diet consisted of "only raw fruits and vegetables" and "breast milk." He was 17 pounds at the time, seven pounds below average weight. Three other children, all under the age of 11, were also found to be suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.
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Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
