Risks of hopping on to social media trends and following unsupervised dietary plans

Michelle Fairburn, a Toronto-based real estate agent and mother had to be hospitalised after following the ‘The 75 Hard Challenge’ on Tik-tok. She was diagnosed with water poisoning, a life-threatening condition caused by consuming excessive amounts of water. Illustration/Uday Mohite

In the world of social media, almost every other day new health fads, diet plans and fitness challenges are shared that are propagated as fun, interesting or new. Such fads get more popularised when social media influencers promote them among their millions of followers with gusto and confidence. But what people (influencers and followers) don't take into account, are the risk factors.

Take for example Michelle Fairburn, a Toronto-based real estate agent and mother, who had to seek medical help taking a Tik-tok challenge called The 75 Hard Challenge. This infamous challenge requires a person to follow a strict diet (no cheat meals), work out rigorously twice a day, drink roughly four litres of water daily, read 10 pages of a non-fiction book and take a progress photo every day.

In an online post Samsonova announced online sessions on raw vegan diet for her followers; (right) durian, her staple diet

After 12 days of this routine, the 40-year-old Fairburn had to be hospitalised, as she got diagnosed with hyponatremia, commonly known as water poisoning, a life-threatening condition caused by consuming excessive amounts of water.

Fitness challenges

"The 75 Hard Challenge, like many other intense fitness trends, can promote excessive exercise without adequate rest, leading to overtraining, injuries, and burnout. These challenges may not consider proper nutritional guidance, leading to imbalances in nutrient intake and potential deficiencies, apart from creating unrealistic expectations about fitness results and body image, leading to disappointment and dissatisfaction," said Shweta Shah, a nutritionist, whose client list includes actors and cricketers. She warns that extreme fitness challenges can also put immense pressure mentally that leads to anxiety, stress, and a negative relationship with exercise and body image.

Tropical fruit salad

"To engage in vigorous workouts without adequate nutrition, especially without consuming the optimum amount of protein, can have several negative consequences on your body and fitness goals. Proper nutrition, including sufficient protein intake, is essential for supporting exercise performance, muscle growth, and overall health," explains Neha Sahaya, nutrition consultant. She adds that muscle breakdown, decreased exercise performance, weakened immune system and loss of lean muscle mass are few of the potential issues one may face.

Sahaya points out that while the challenge has gained popularity for promoting discipline and mental toughness, it's important to be aware of potential side effects and consider individual factors before taking it on. Overtraining, nutritional imbalances, mental stress, unsustainability and disordered eating patterns are some of the possible side effects that one needs to consider.

Zhanna Samsonova, a vegan raw food social media influencer who died of starvation, promoted vegan raw food diet. Pics courtesy/Instagram

Extreme food fads

Another tragic case in point is Zhanna Samsonova (who went by the name Zhanna D'art), a vegan raw food social media influencer, who reportedly died of starvation. The Russian influencer who lived in Thailand, had adopted fruit-based diets for the last decade; and some reports suggest that for the last seven years, she was only eating sweet jackfruit, and durian, a fruit that's known for its rotten egg-like odour. The 39-year-old influencer, who had 37.5K followers, promoted vegan raw food diet; and advertised recipes, special menus for it, and even conducted online classes.

The death has made this a blind-leading-the-blind kind of lifestyle routine.

Neha Sahaya, Shweta Shah and Sayali Naik

"Vegan diet if not done correctly or without a nutritionist's guidance can be very harmful for one's health. If people severely restrict food groups or nutrients (which may have been a problem in Samsonova's case) may also mean that she missed out on the protective health effects that a balanced eating plan provides," shared Sayali Naik, a sports nutritionist. "I don't recommend such fruit-only diets for anyone, as it may lead to severe health conditions due to deficiencies of many essential nutrients like Omega 3, vitamin D, calcium, protein, etc.," she adds.

Echoing Naik's thoughts, Sahaya shared, "Zhanna's choice to consume only exotic fruits led her down a pointless path, depriving her body of essential nutrients. Proper nutrition is crucial to sustaining a healthy body, and depriving oneself of vital nutrients can lead to severe health issues." She points out that all macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat and fibre) and micronutrients (minerals and vitamins) are required for the healthy functioning of the body. Each plays an important role.

The ‘following' frenzy

"What worries me the most in today's social media's influential world is that people just start following any random eating patterns, as and when it's trending, or after seeing someone else following it. People should focus on their individual goals and then step forward healthily and not hop on to diet trends,"
Naik shared.

It is important to know what trends and challenges a person is getting into. "I encourage evidence-based nutrition and advocate for sustainable and balanced approaches to fitness and nutrition, tailored to each individual's unique needs and goals. It's essential to focus on creating healthy habits that can be maintained over time, rather than following short-lived and potentially harmful social media trends," Shah explained, adding that it's necessary to approach the transition mindfully, educate oneself about proper nutrition, and consider individual circumstances to ensure the diet meets one's nutritional needs and aligns with the lifestyle. "Prioritising overall well-being and seeking professional guidance can lead to more positive and lasting results in health and fitness journeys," she summarised.