Sao Paulo- Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston, 21, died of anorexia nervosa, Brazilian media reported on Wednesday. Reston, 1.72 metres tall and weighing only 40 kilogrammes, was in hospital since October 25 due to a kidney malfunction. Her condition became more serious and deteriorated into a generalised infection that led to the young woman's death on Tuesday. Born to a middle-class family in Jundiai, in the state of Sao Paulo, Reston had worked for renowned modelling agencies such as Ford, Elite and L'Equipe, in countries like China, Turkey, Mexico and Japan. (RawStory.com)
(Just so you know, one kilogram = 2.2 pounds,and 1 metre equals 3.28 feet.)
In related news,
Filmmaker captures slow suicide of anorexia
At the heart of anorexia lies a human pain that cannot be explained simply as vanity, according to the director of a new film chronicling the potentially deadly psychiatric disorder.Lauren Greenfield's documentary "Thin" debuts on Tuesday on Time Warner Inc.'s cable television network HBO, following four women who entered Florida's Renfrew Center to treat their eating disorders.
It tracks the treatment of Shelly, 25, who lived for five years with a feeding tube surgically planted in her stomach to ensure she received nutrients.
Alisa, 30, whittled her diet down to 170 calories a day during over 15 years battling with the illness while at other times, she could breakfast on a dozen doughnuts, several orders of hash browns and two half-gallons of ice cream in a single binge, vomit the entire meal and start again for lunch.
"I'm addicted to the process," Alisa admits in the film. "I just want to be thin. If it takes dying the get there, so be it. At least I'll get there."
For while many may view anorexia as an extreme fear of growing fat influenced by a culture obsessed with diets and wisp-figured celebrities, Greenfield found a far stronger urge to seek relief even at the brink of death.
One in seven U.S. women suffer from an eating disorder, while as many as 14 percent of people with anorexia will die from the illness, according to data from the researchers.
They also cite statistics showing nearly 25 percent of college-aged women purge food to help keep down their weight. (Reuters)