Chinese mukbang influencer Gan Fan Yingying, 24, died from cardiac arrest linked to severe hypokalemia (potassium level 2.3 mmol/L) after years of binge-eating and self-induced vomiting for livestream sales. Her final video warned fans: health over money.
Tags:A 24-year-old Chinese mukbang influencer has died after repeatedly suffering from dangerously low potassium levels, sparking renewed concern over the physical toll of extreme eating content.
On September 4, the parents of influencer “Gan Fan Yingying” announced on social media that their daughter had died on August 17, 2026.
Screenshot fron Tencent news
Just three days before her death, Yingying posted what would become her final video. Explaining why she had recently stopped livestreaming, she said she had been hospitalized after her potassium level repeatedly dropped.
At its lowest, she said, her blood potassium had fallen to 2.3 mmol/L. She also acknowledged that her condition was closely connected to her work as a mukbang creator, including long-term self-induced vomiting.
“Making money is important, but your health should always come first,” she told her followers.
According to people familiar with the situation, Yingying had experienced low potassium for an extended period. Her death was reportedly suspected to have involved cardiac arrest caused by severe hypokalemia, although an official medical confirmation of the cause of death has not been publicly released.
Yingying also offered a glimpse into the demands of her work.
She said livestream sales were far from easy, explaining that when she once promoted preserved eggs, she had to eat 60 to 70 eggs during a single livestream. Other products similarly required her to keep eating on camera.
Screenshot fron Tencent news
For mukbang creators, eating more can mean attracting more viewers and generating better engagement. But Yingying's experience revealed the darker side of a business model in which the body itself can become part of the performance.
Her story has also drawn attention to hypokalemia, a condition in which potassium levels in the blood become abnormally low.
Potassium plays an important role in muscle function, nerve signaling and maintaining a normal heart rhythm. Low potassium can cause weakness, fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea and abnormal heart rhythms. In severe cases, it can become life-threatening.
People who experience prolonged vomiting or diarrhea, heavy sweating, or certain medication-related electrolyte losses may face a higher risk of potassium deficiency.
Yingying's death has left many viewers questioning how far online creators are expected to push themselves for attention and income.
Mukbang began as a form of online entertainment centered around watching people eat, but its increasingly competitive environment has encouraged some creators to take their performances to extremes.
Behind the views, likes and livestream sales, however, there is still a human body.
Yingying's final message now carries a painful significance: making money may be important, but no amount of online success is worth sacrificing your health.
Source:
Editor:Vivi G
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