Mukbang star Yingying dies at 24 after revealing severe health problems due to extreme eating

Chen Ziyi had over 1 million followers and posted her final health warning three days before her death

Chinese mukbang creator Chen Ziyi, known online as Yingying, has died at the age of 24, just three days after telling followers she had been hospitalised with severely low potassium levels.

Yingying's parents announced her death on September 4, stating that she had died on August 17. Her family did not publicly disclose an official cause of death. Reports have since raised questions about the health pressures associated with extreme eating content, particularly after Yingying spoke openly about her recurring medical problems shortly before her death.

The creator had built a following of more than 1 million through mukbang videos and livestreams featuring large quantities of food. Her content also included food promotion and livestream selling, where she described the pressure to continue eating because higher food consumption could help attract viewers and improve the performance of a broadcast.

In her final video, uploaded on August 14, Yingying said she had recently been admitted to hospital after her potassium level dropped as low as 2.3 mmol/L. Normal blood potassium is generally around 3.5 to 5.5 mmol/L, making the level she described particularly concerning.

Yingying also said the problem had happened before, indicating that she had experienced repeated episodes of low potassium. She connected her health difficulties to her eating related work and urged viewers to prioritise their wellbeing.

"Although making money is important, health should always come first," she said, according to reporting by Global Times.

Her comments have taken on a painful significance following news of her death. They have also renewed attention on the physical demands faced by creators who produce extreme eating videos for online audiences.

One widely reported example from Yingying's previous content involved her saying that she had eaten between 60 and 70 preserved eggs during a livestream promoting the product. That figure comes from Yingying's own account and has not been independently verified.

Medical experts have also addressed the dangers of severe potassium depletion. Dr Chai Qichen of Zhejiang Hospital told that repeated vomiting and laxative use can cause significant potassium loss. Potassium is important for the normal electrical activity of the heart, and severe hypokalaemia can increase the risk of dangerous heart rhythm problems.

Some reports have cited a person familiar with Yingying's case who claimed that she suffered cardiac arrest connected to prolonged low potassium. However, that account has not been confirmed by her family or an official medical authority, so it cannot be established as the cause of her death.

The distinction is important because Yingying's family obituary did not state how she died. Current reporting confirms that she died on August 17, that she was 24, and that she had publicly discussed serious potassium problems shortly before her death. Claims linking those health problems directly to her death remain unconfirmed.