Teenager, 17, in Tamil Nadu dies after following juice-only diet inspired by YouTube

Dubai: A 17-year-old boy from Colachel in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district died on Thursday after reportedly following a fruit juice-only diet for nearly three months, which his family said he had picked up from a YouTube video.

The teenager, identified as Saktheeswaran, collapsed at home after complaining of breathlessness. According to relatives, he had been consuming nothing but fruit juices for the past three months, completely avoiding solid foods, without any advice from doctors or dieticians. He had also been taking some unspecified medicines and had recently started working out.

Family members said that during a pooja at their home on Thursday, he ate solid food for the first time in months. Shortly after, he began to vomit, experienced severe discomfort, and collapsed.

Efforts to save him failed, and he was pronounced dead.

According to a report in India Today, people living in the area said the boy had been conscious of his weight since childhood and often stayed away from sports or outdoor activities because of it. They noted that he had recently gained admission to a college in Tiruchirappalli and was keen to lose weight before starting classes.

In the past three months, neighbours observed that he had become visibly thinner due to his strict juice-only regime.

Doctors have not yet confirmed the exact cause of death. While suffocation has been mentioned as a possible factor, officials say they are waiting for the autopsy report to establish whether his extreme dietary routine contributed to his death.

This case follows a similar incident earlier this year in Kerala. In March 2025, an 18-year-old student from Kannur district, Sreenanda, died after months of severe dieting and starvation reportedly motivated by a fear of weight gain. Her family said she relied on extreme advice from online platforms, skipped meals, over-exercised, and was eventually hospitalised in Thalassery after surviving only on water. Despite medical care, she did not survive.

Health professionals have repeatedly cautioned that self-imposed, unverified diets promoted on social media and video platforms can be dangerous, particularly for teenagers. Experts stress the importance of consulting qualified doctors or nutritionists before making drastic lifestyle changes.