China Woman Loses 20 kg, Develops Brain Disorder After Water-Only Diet: "Walk Resembles A Penguin"

A 31-year-old woman in central China has been left with serious balance and walking problems after reportedly surviving on nothing but water for 15 days in an extreme attempt to lose weight. The woman, from Henan province, was around 160 cm tall and weighed 70 kg before beginning the fast. She lost about 20 kg within a few weeks of drastically restricting her food intake, South China Morning Post reported. 

She was later taken to hospital with a range of neurological symptoms, including confusion, memory problems, difficulty moving her eyes and severe problems with balance. Doctors at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University diagnosed her with Wernicke's encephalopathy, a potentially life-threatening neurological disorder associated with severe vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency and malnutrition.

Neurologist Sun Guifang, who treated the woman, said her gait had become unusually unsteady and resembled that of a penguin. He warned that the walking problems could persist even after treatment.

The woman reportedly told doctors that she had been practising 'bigu', an ancient Taoist practice that traditionally involves abstaining from grains and, in some modern interpretations, going without food altogether. Followers of the practice may believe that the body can sustain itself through qi, or vital energy.

The practice has gained renewed attention on Chinese social media, where some users promote extreme fasting as a way to lose weight or detox the body. Some posts describe people consuming only water and supplements for extended periods.

Dangers of Prolonged Water Fasting

But medical professionals have repeatedly warned about the dangers of prolonged fasting without proper medical supervision. Severe food restriction can deprive the body of essential vitamins and minerals and, in extreme cases, cause neurological damage, electrolyte disturbances and other potentially fatal complications.

In 2020, a 26-year-old man in Heilongjiang province reportedly died after consuming only water for 52 days and developed dementia-like symptoms shortly before his death.

More recently, a woman in Zhejiang province reportedly lost around 5 kg after fasting for a week while taking an 'energy pill'. She subsequently developed severe intestinal damage, a bloodstream infection and dangerously low potassium levels.