A 24-year-old Chinese streamer has died during a live stream while doing mukbang, a practice where large amounts of food are presented and eaten while making noise while chewing to generate 'ASMR' (autonomous sensory meridian response), a tingling sensation in the head for viewers.
The death of Pan Xiaoting has been confirmed by media outlets such as NDTV and the local portal Hankyung.
The official cause of death of the content creator has not been made public yet, but according to the autopsy report, it could be related to the mukbang as undigested food remnants were found in her stomach, in addition to the alarming weight gain, reaching up to 300 kilograms.
Xiaoting started Mukbang as a side activity on her social media, but as she gained popularity on the platform, she decided to quit her job as a waitress and dedicate herself full-time to this activity. For her, it was an easy way to make a living as she received good payment for her streams and gifts from her fans.
In her streams, she accepted challenges to eat for more than 10 hours straight and quantities exceeding 10 kg of food, which undoubtedly affected her health.
Since 2020, China has taken measures against this content as it promotes overeating without awareness and food wastage. Creators of this type of content could face fines of up to 10,000 yuan (1,250 euros). However, these videos still have high views, making it a very common theme.