Instagram influencers pushing "extreme" diets are causing young people to suffer from malnutrition and eating disorders, leading nutritionists have warned after a popular vegan vlogger admitted she fell ill after following her own diet plan.

Yovana Mendoza Ayres, known to her fans as "Rawvana", has over 10 million followers across Instagram and YouTube - but admitted becoming dangerously unwell as a result of her raw vegan diet and 25-day fasts.

The influencer, who posts her "cleanse" and "fast" diet programmes online, was condemned by her fans after a video posted by another YouTuber showed her appearing to eat fish.

She said that because of her diet, "something wasn't going right" with her body, and she began to lose her menstrual cycles, and that doctors told her she needed to eat more fat, and she started eating cooked food again.

“I wasn’t ovulating,” she said in a video explaining why she ate fish, “I was basically anemic and my thyroid levels were low. It was really bad, but it was borderline.”

Posts promoting this extreme diet are still up on her social media channels, as nutrition experts warn that following the advice of influencers can lead to extreme health problems.

Harley Street registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert said she has seen seriously unwell clients come to her practice after they followed the advice of Instagram celebrities.