It has been almost three days since the Australian wrist-spinning legend Shane Warne left for the heavenly abode last week. Warne was on the first day of his three-month-long vacation at a villa hotel on Koh Samui island, as he was found unresponsive by his friends. He was soon declared dead by a nearby hospital before his body was transferred to the Thai mainland for autopsy at a state hospital. He was known to have struggled with his weight throughout his life and has previously followed extreme diets to shed weight. 

As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, Warne’s manager James Erskine informed that the cricketer had finished a 14-day liquid-only diet before embarking on his vacation. While the news about Warne’s sad demise broke out on March 5, he earlier posted an old picture on Instagram with the caption, “Operation shred has started (10 days in) & the goal by July is to get back to this shape from a few years ago ! Let’s go.”

Details about the 14-day liquid diet and its effects on the body

Following the rigid diet, Warne avoided all solid food, a reason which might have put extra strain on his heart. As per a report by National World, Australian medical expert Professor Garry Jennings said such diets have the tendency to put pressure on the heart. “Mostly, these risks are on top of an underlying heart problem — they don’t come out of the blue. I doubt they could cause a heart problem just by themselves. Basically, if your metabolism, your handling of fluids, salt, and other electrolytes gets completely out of whack, if you have a small heart attack, you’re more likely for that to turn into something serious with a rhythm disorder,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald also reported that Warne had visited a doctor regarding his heart leading up to his demise. Reports also claim that he had been struggling with chest pain and swearing in the weeks before his death. While it was earlier reported that Warne passed away due to a suspected heart attack, the Thai authorities confirmed that as per autopsy results, the 52-year-old passed away of natural causes.

(Image: AP)