What was Shane Warne's 'extreme' 14-day liquid diet? Autopsy results revealed as doctors issue caution over cricketer's diet plans

On Friday, March 4, Australian cricket bowling legend Shane Warne passed away at 52 after suffering a heart attack during his trip to Thailand. As per the local Thai police, the autopsy revealed that the cricketer died from natural causes.

Police Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen said in a statement,

"Today investigators received the autopsy result, in which the medical opinion is that the cause of death is natural."

Meanwhile, deputy director of Samui Hospital, Songyot Chayaninporamet, told the press that Warne's cause of death was a "congenital disease," which is often genetically inherited.

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Shane Warne's 'extreme' 14-day liquid diet explained

While speaking about Warne's unfortunate demise, his manager James Erskine told the Nine Network:

"He did go on these ridiculous sorts of diets, and he just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days, and he'd done this three or four times."

Erskine's statement aligns with Warne's Instagram post from last week, where the late cricketer shared an old picture showcasing his physique back then. In the caption, the 52-year-old wrote,

"Operation shred has started (10 days in)..."

Shane Warne also stated that his goal was to achieve this past physique within July. According to The Sporting News CEO Tom Hall, who was reportedly on a Thailand trip with Warne, the cricketer's last meal was buttered toast with vegemite.

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Potential causes of Warne's tragic heart attack

The Australian right-arm leg spinner was a smoker for most of his life and was treated for COVID last year. At the time, Warne revealed that he was put on a ventilator amid his bout with the disease.

Multiple doctors have cited the negative impact of liquid diets following Warne's death. ABC health expert Dr. Norman Swan addressed the issue on Radio Sydney's podcast, where he stated:

"Who knows what happened with Shane Warne but regardless it doesn't sound like he was on a balanced diet in terms of losing weight...You cannot just go and drink stuff, no matter how green it is, for a month."

Meanwhile, Thai police revealed that Shane Warne suffered frequent chest pain before his trip to Koh Samui island.

Local authorities also mentioned that the cricketer had consulted a doctor in Australia regarding the issue. Further, Erskine noted that Warne had been sweating excessively in the weeks leading up to his death.

The Upper Ferntree Gully native had previously rapidly gained and lost weight multiple times in his lifetime. He was known to have implemented traditional Chinese medicine and "30-day fasting tea diets".

His unusual diet has not been cited as the reason for his demise. However, according to a 2018 report from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), crash diets can deteriorate heart function in certain patients. The study also reported the effect of low-calorie diets like the one Shane Warne was on before his death.