Popular ‘mukbang’ TikTok Turkey’s Efecan Kultur sadly died at the age of 24.
Renowned for producing films where he consumed copious amounts of food for entertainment, Kultur developed a devoted following of about 150,000 people. Many of his fans connected with his films, which mostly highlighted his passion of Turkish cuisine.
His sudden demise has drawn attention to the perhaps risky online eating habit known as mukbang. Beginning in South Korea in the early 2010s, this trend sees content creators eating copious amounts of food alongside interacting with their audience. Although some influencers have become social media stars and made money via sponsorships and ads, its risks have raised questions. Several de@ths have been connected to Mukbang, therefore emphasizing the serious nature of the movement.
Major internet celebrities include South Korean sensation Dona, who has amassed 21 billion views, and Ukrainian-American influencer Nikocado Avocado, who has about 10 billion views across TikTok and YouTube, have been produced by the mukbang phenomena.
Notwithstanding the popularity of the fad, many contend that mukbang promotes unhealthy eating practices and adds to food waste, therefore casting doubt on its long-term consequences on viewers and producers both.
China has moved to forbid mukbang material; President Xi Jinping denounced it as a “distressing” exhibition of wastefulness. Given its possible effect on viewers’ health, the trend has come under more and more examination.
Excessive mukbang viewing and disordered eating habits have been linked, according to a 2021 study that was written up in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction According to studies conducted in South Korea, almost one-third of regular mukbang viewers acknowledged having self-diagnosed harmful habits including overconsumption of junk food.
Born Nicholas Perry, Nik avocado Avocado is among the most well-known mukbang artists who has candidly shared the physical effects the fad has had on his physique. He has discussed coping with movement limitations, sleep troubles, and digestive problems brought on by his very heavy diet. He posted a video in September outlining his 110 kg weight loss and said he had had several operations to remove extra skin.
Some mukbangers have been accused of deceiving their audience by spewing food off-camera to give the impression of too much intake. Others in the mukbang community, meantime, are trying to spread awareness of the health dangers connected to intense eating challenges. With over 720,000 YouTube followers, Indian mukbanger Ashifa ASMS, for instance, began adding warnings in her videos in 2023 to indicate that her material was shot in several sittings to lower health hazards.
December saw Efecan Kultur’s health start to deteriorate; Metro claims he was hospitalized for obesity-related problems. He apparently lost his ability to stand, had trouble breathing, and bruised often. Kultur became bedridden at last and dependent on a breathing machine. As Turkiye Today reports, he died on March 7.
Among mukbang influencers, his demise falls into a sad trend. Pan Xiaoting, 24-year-old Chinese influencer, passed last July when her stomach burst during a live-streamed challenge when she tried to eat 10 kg of food over ten hours. After consuming a lot of fried chicken for a challenge, Filipino mukbang artist Dongz Apatan—with half a million Facebook followers—had a deadly stroke in June. Later he went into cardiac arrest.
Apatan’s sister added that he usually didn’t finish all the food he showed in his videos, implying that his online material didn’t really reflect his actual diet. A local heart specialist connected his de*th to too high salt intake.