Explained: What is extreme liquid diet that late Shane Warne followed and how it affects the body

Shane Warne passed away on March 04 to leave the whole cricketing fraternity in a state of shock. The 52-year-old was in Thailand on a personal trip where he breathed his last and left a huge void in world cricket with his sudden demise. Warne remains a legend of the gentlemen's game with 1,001 international wickets (708 Test and 293 ODI scalps).

According to the brief statement given to Fox News by Warne's management, he died due to a heart attack during his Thailand trip. "Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived," the statement read. "The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course," it added.

For the unversed, the 52-year-old spin wizard Warne was on an extreme liquid diet -- in order to lose some fat and regain shape. While sharing a picture on Twitter, the Aussie great had revealed sometime back, "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."

According to Warne's manager, James Erskine, the Australian was serving a strict 14-day liquid diet. The diet comprised just liquids and no food. According to reports, the legendary spinner sweated a lot more than usual in the week prior to his sudden departure.

“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 these three or four times," news.com.au quoted Erskine as saying. He added, "It was a bit all or nothing. It was either white buns with butter and lasagne stuffed in the middle or he would be having black and green juices. He obviously smoked most of his life. I don't know; I think it was just a massive heart attack. That's what I think has happened," Erskine added.

How do such liquid diets affect the body?

It is important to note that such liquid diets largely consist of juices aimed at enriching minerals and vitamins and minimising the intake of proteins and fats. Further, it also does not comprise any fibre. Several experts have stated that a diet with no balance of all nutrients is not expected to be effective and yield good results in the longer run.

According to BBC, the side effects of a liquid diet are headaches, dizziness, extreme tiredness, diarrhea, or constipation. Thus, it is widely recommended to refer to a rather balanced diet, consisting of lots of fruits intake, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds, etc. In addition, exercising and churning out ways to keep the body active during the course of a day is extremely vital.

Since Warne's passing away, the cricketing world is still trying to recover from the shock. Many former cricketers and his ex-teammates have paid tribute to the former leg-spinner, who inspired generations with his legbreak, flight and made spin-bowling an attacking option in world cricket.