KOZHIKODE: A 19-year-old woman from Meruvambayi in Kerala’s Kannur lost her life after months of extreme “water fasting’ regimen, influenced by weight loss advice dished out online. She had abstained from food for nearly a year and had been surviving mainly on water.
Doctors said the death resulted from complications arising from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder with mental, behavioural and physical symptoms, including fear of gaining weight.
Sreenanda, a 1st year degree student, was undergoing treatment at Thalassery Cooperative Hospital for the past 10 days. She had been put on ventilator support four days before she died Saturday. Dr Nagesh Prabhu, who treated her, said Sreenanda was bedridden and extremely underweight when she was brought to the hospital.
