Ganfan Yingying Dead at 24: Mukbang Star's Cause of Death and How Is Extreme Eating Linked to Low Potassium

Chinese mukbang creator Chen Ziyi, known online as Ganfan Yingying, died on 17 August at age 24, according to an obituary her parents posted on 4 September without disclosing an official cause of death.

Chen had built an audience of more than one million followers by posting mukbang videos on Chinese social media.

China Newsweek reported that her account had carried 169 posts, most featuring mukbang content, before it became unavailable following her death.

Ganfan Yingying Disclosed Severe Low Potassium Before Her Death

Three days before her death, Chen posted what became her final video. In the 14 August clip, she said she had been hospitalised after repeatedly eating and experiencing potassium loss, and that her blood potassium level had fallen as low as 2.3 mmol/L.

The Merck Manual generally defines hypokalaemia as a blood potassium concentration below 3.5 mmol/L. A level below 2.5 mmol/L is classified as severe hypokalaemia and can be associated with serious symptoms and changes in the heart's electrical activity.

China Newsweek reported that Chen had previously discussed health problems associated with producing mukbang content and long-term self-induced vomiting.

In her final video, she also warned followers that earning money mattered, but health should come first. Those disclosures show that Chen had experienced a serious potassium problem before her death, but they do not establish what caused her to die.

Chinese media cited an unnamed person familiar with the matter as saying Chen had experienced longstanding low potassium and may have suffered cardiac arrest associated with the condition.

That account has not been confirmed by her family or a hospital. No publicly cited post-mortem report, death certificate or statement from a treating medical professional has established hypokalaemia as Chen's official cause of death.

How Vomiting Can Contribute to Low Potassium

Potassium is an electrolyte needed for cells, muscles and nerves to function normally. When blood potassium falls substantially, people can develop weakness, muscle cramps and abnormal heart rhythms. Severe hypokalaemia can lead to dangerous cardiac complications.

The Merck Manual said hypokalaemia can result from excessive potassium loss through the kidneys or gastrointestinal tract, among other causes.

Prolonged vomiting can contribute to low potassium because changes in fluid volume and the body's acid-base balance can cause the kidneys to excrete more potassium.

Chronic diarrhoea and excessive laxative use can also contribute to potassium loss. However, those general medical mechanisms should not be treated as proof of what happened in an individual case.

That distinction is especially important in Chen's case. Reports that she had spoken about long-term self-induced vomiting provide relevant medical context, but they do not establish that vomiting caused her hypokalaemia, that hypokalaemia caused cardiac arrest or that either condition was the direct cause of her death.

Ganfan Yingying's Death Renews Scrutiny of Extreme Eating Content

Mukbang, a format that emerged in South Korea, typically involves creators eating food on camera while interacting with viewers. Some creators consume unusually large quantities, turning extreme eating into entertainment.

Medical evidence does not show that eating a large meal by itself automatically causes hypokalaemia. The condition can instead arise from factors including repeated vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive laxative use, certain medicines, kidney-related potassium loss or other medical conditions.

Doctors quoted by Chinese media after Chen's death warned that a potassium reading around 2.3 mmol/L requires urgent medical attention. Merck similarly notes that severe hypokalaemia can affect cardiac electrical activity and lead to potentially life-threatening arrhythmias.

The established facts therefore remain narrower than some claims surrounding Chen's death. She died aged 24 after publicly disclosing severe low potassium and health concerns connected to her mukbang routine and long-term self-induced vomiting. Her family's obituary did not state how she died, leaving any specific medical explanation unconfirmed.