Chen Ziyi, Chinese Mukbang Creator, Dies at 24 After Revealing Severe Health Issues
Chinese mukbang creator Chen Ziyi, known online as Ganfan Yingying, died at 24 following severe health complications linked to her extreme eating broadcasts. Three days before her passing, she posted a video warning followers to prioritize their health after being hospitalized for dangerously low blood potassium levels.
Chinese social media creator Chen Ziyi, a popular mukbang content creator known online as Ganfan Yingying, has died at the age of 24. Her parents confirmed her passing on social media, stating that she died on August 17, just days after posting a video about severe health complications linked to her extreme eating habits. Her death has reignited widespread concern in China regarding the dangerous physical toll of online binge-eating broadcasts. Adult Film Star Christian Styles Dies at 29; Family Launches GoFundMe.
Mukbang Creator Chen Ziyi Dies Following Health Warning
Chen built an audience of over one million followers by streaming videos in which she consumed vast quantities of food on camera. On August 14, three days before her death, she posted a video explaining that she had been hospitalised after her blood potassium dropped to 2.3 mmol/L—a dangerously low level, compared to the normal medical range of 3.5 to 5.5 mmol/L. In what became her final message to her fans, Chen warned her audience about the risks of prioritising work over physical well-being.
"Although making money is important, health should always come first," she said. While her family has not officially released a specific medical cause of death, medical professionals cited in Chinese media suggest that severe potassium deficiency (hypokalemia) likely led to cardiac arrest.
Medical Risks Behind Extreme Eating Broadcasts
Medical experts note that while overeating alone rarely causes drastic potassium loss, common practices within the extreme mukbang industry such as self-induced vomiting and laxative use carry grave risks. Streamers often resort to these methods off-camera to manage their weight while continuing to consume immense food portions for views. Because digestive fluids contain high concentrations of potassium, repeated vomiting or laxative abuse rapidly depletes the body’s levels.
Severe hypokalemia can disrupt the heart’s electrical system, causing irregular heart rhythms or sudden heart failure. In her final broadcasts, Chen acknowledged that long-term habits associated with her streaming routine contributed to her recurring hospitalisations.
Escalating Scrutiny of Online Food Streams
Chen’s death is the latest in a series of fatal incidents involving young content creators engaging in dangerous eating challenges. In July 2024, 24-year-old mukbang streamer Pan Xiaoting died during a livestream, with an autopsy revealing severe abdominal deformation caused by excessive food consumption. Despite national regulations, the commercial incentives for extreme eating content remain strong.
China enacted the Anti-Food Waste Law in 2021, prohibiting videos that promote binge eating, and updated streamer conduct codes in 2022 to ban staged eating and induced vomiting. However, the integration of live e-commerce, where sales revenue is directly tied to view counts, continues to drive creators toward high-risk content. Gay Adult Star Hunter Hardin Aka LuLu LoveBottom, Dies at 30.
The tragedy has prompted renewed calls across Chinese social media platforms for stricter enforcement against content that encourages life-threatening behaviour for online engagement.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2026 10:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
