Ana Carolina Reston - Brazilian Model Died from Anorexia

Catwalk organisers from around the world wondered if they should ban models considered too thin from their shows.

Ana Carolina Reston, a 21-year old Brazilian fashion model, died from anorexia on November 14th, 2006.

At 1.72 m (5'8"), she weighed only 40 kilograms (88 lbs.) with a body mass index of 13.5 when she died, after having existed on a diet of apples and tomatoes and being hospitalised for kidney malfunction.

A body mass index (BMI) of 17.5 or less is one of the criteria for a diagnosis of anorexia according to the World Health Organisation's classification system.

The Spanish Association of Fashion Designers took the decision to ban models with a BMI of less than 18 during its Madrid fashion week in September 2006.

Of course the desire to look like a model is not the only thing that leads to eating disorders. The portrayal of thin people in the public eye is just one of the contributory environmental variables.

Anorexia and bulimia are complicated diseases caused by many different interrelated environmental, personality and emotional factors, which vary across individuals.

Banning ultra-thin models from catwalks is not going to eradicate eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia among models or the general public. However, the death of Ana Carolina Reston adds to the controversy surrounding the appearance of very thin models on the World's catwalks.