A 27-year-old woman was found dead in a Bali hotel room after reportedly starving herself to death while following an extreme fruitarian diet, local sources and international media report. The incident has drawn attention to the potential dangers of highly restrictive diets and the vulnerability of those with disordered eating.
Discovery of the Body and Key Facts
According to reports, the woman, identified as Karolina Krzyzak, checked into the Sumberkima Hill resort in northern Bali in December 2024. Hotel staff familiar with her dietary restrictions said she requested that she be served only fruit, and that meals be delivered to her door.
Over a period of days, her condition visibly declined. Staff described her as “emaciated,” with sunken eyes and protruding bones. Reports state that on the night clerk assisted her to her room because she could no longer walk unassisted. When medical help was offered, she declined.
After three days of her stay, the hotel was alerted by a local acquaintance—who had not heard from her—to check on her welfare. Staff then entered her room and discovered her body. Her body was “stiff and motionless” upon discovery, and signs of severe malnutrition and dehydration were evident.
At the time of death, sources say Karolina weighed only 3.5 stone (approximately 22 kg or 48 lbs). Additional medical observations reportedly included yellowed fingernails, dental decay, osteoporosis, and albumin deficiency resulting in edema (swelling) in the lower limbs.
Background: Diet, Personal History, and Risks
Karolina is said to have embraced a strict fruitarian diet beginning around age 19. Under that diet, she is reported to have consumed only raw fruit (and possibly occasional fruit-derived items) while rejecting other food groups. She had reportedly battled an eating disorder (anorexia) since adolescence.
Friends and online acquaintances say that as her physique declined, praise from followers on social media reinforced her behavior. Her parents, alarmed at her weight loss, tried to intervene and urged her to return home for treatment. She is said to have entered inpatient care in 2018, but later resumed her restrictive diet.
In the months before her death, Karolina traveled through Tenerife and eventually arrived in Bali, hoping to meet other followers of raw vegan or fruitarian lifestyles. Some report she met with fruitarian health coaches, but remained unwilling to accept conventional medical intervention.
Nutrition experts generally warn that a pure fruitarian diet lacks essential macronutrients—especially protein, fats, and certain vitamins and minerals—and can cause severe deficiencies over time. Extended periods of malnutrition can lead to organ failure, electrolyte imbalances, and death. In this case, observers believe cumulative damage over years contributed to her collapse.
Reactions, Investigations, and Implications
Local authorities in Bali have opened an inquiry into the circumstances of her death. No public statements have yet confirmed official cause (whether natural, accidental, or other). Media outlets are citing hotel staff testimony, friend accounts, and social media posts as the basis of reported details.
The case has sparked international conversation about the risks of extreme wellness trends and social media validation of harmful practices. Health advocates say this tragedy underscores how dietary extremism can mask deeper mental health issues like eating disorders. The circumstances raise questions about the responsibility of hospitality providers when a guest clearly exhibits signs of distress—but declines help.
For travelers, it serves as a cautionary tale: severe diet restrictions, especially in unfamiliar environments far from medical support, carry grave risks. For broadly minded readers, it illustrates the potential lethality of unbalanced diets when combined with the isolation and idealization that sometimes accompany online health movements.
The Bali-based death of a young woman following an extreme fruitarian diet is already being cited as an alarming example for press, dietitians, and mental health professionals alike.
FAQs
A 27-year-old woman, identified as Karolina Krzyzak, was found dead in a Bali hotel room after following an extreme fruitarian diet and reportedly refusing medical help.
A fruitarian diet typically restricts food intake to raw fruit (sometimes with nuts or seeds). It lacks sufficient protein, essential fats, and many micronutrients, which can lead to severe deficiencies and organ failure over time.
Yes, local authorities have reportedly opened an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death, though no official public cause has been confirmed yet.
