Research has shown that there is a link between diabetes and sudden weight loss. In fact, most patients who were eventually diagnosed with this metabolic disorder first visited their physicians to find out why they were losing weight inexplicably.
Sudden weight loss in people with diabetes could occur as a result of dehydration, a breakdown of the muscles, high blood sugar as well as problems emanating from your thyroid.
Is Insulin The Culprit?
Weight loss could also be as a result of insufficient insulin (in people with diabetes) which stops the body from getting sufficient glucose from the bloodstream and into the cells of the body for use as energy.
The primary job of insulin is to convey glucose obtained from the foods you eat to the cells that need energy so that you can remain alive and well. When this insulin is unavailable or insufficient, glucose accumulates in your blood.
When this happens, the human body, due to lack of sufficient carbohydrates or glucose, seeks an alternative to obtain the required energy your cells need to work optimally. This is when your body turns to and starts burning fat and even muscles for energy which ultimately leads to a reduction in general body weight.
If you don’t receive adequate treatment on time, you will be exposing your internal organs to a lot of damage.
Weight loss in people with diabetes is noticed more often before a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. But this could also affect people living with type 2 diabetes.
Dehydration And Weight Loss
Dehydration is a symptom of diabetes and is linked with frequent urination. This condition occurs if you repeatedly urinate without replacing the lost fluid.
People with diabetes urinate more often because the kidneys work harder than usual to filter the excess sugar that is accumulating in your blood.
Fluid is thereby drawn from your tissues as a result of the increased glucose in your system. As you urinate, you lose glucose and calories. This leads to severe dehydration and ultimately, weight loss.
Insulin Deficiency Initiates Muscle Breakdown
A report that was published in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism has indicated that there is always a decrease in muscle synthesis and increased muscle breakdown as a result of insulin deficiency.
This was later confirmed in a subsequent report published in the Journal of Endocrinology. The report also showed that if insulin is abundantly made available, the condition will be minimized.
Since an average man’s weight is generally made of forty-five percent muscles while that of an average female is thirty-six percent, muscle breakdown or wasting can initiate weight loss through diabetes.
Nevertheless, it is crucial for you to get in touch with your doctor when you start noticing that you are losing weight and suspect it could be linked to your diabetes.
Your doctor will give you the best advice on how to take good care of your health and manage diabetes and weight loss concurrently.
Sources
1. Karen Kemmis. (2017, July 26). The 2017 National Diabetes Statistics Report is Here. American Association of Diabetes Educators. Retrieved from https://www.diabeteseducator.org/news/aade-blog/aade-blog-details/karen-kemmis-pt-dpt-ms-cde-faade/2017/07/26/the-2017-national-diabetes-statistics-report-is-here
2. The Harvard Gazette. (nd). Obesity? Diabetes? We’ve been set up. Retrieved from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/03/the-big-setup/
3. Ruchi Mathur. (2017, June 06). Is Weight Loss Caused by Diabetes Dangerous? Medicine Net. Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/is_weight_loss_caused_by_diabetes_dangerous/ask.htm
4. Benjamin Wedro. (2015, May 10). Medicine Net. Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/dehydration/article.htm#dehydration_pictures
5. Xiaonan, W., Zhaoyong, H., Junping, H., Jie, D., William, E., Mitch. (2006, Sept 01). Insulin Resistance Accelerates Muscle Protein Degradation: Activation of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway by Defects in Muscle Cell Signaling. Endocrinology, Volume 147, Issue 9, 1 September 2006, Pages 4160–4168. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/147/9/4160/2528321
6. Satoshi, F., Blake, B., Rasmussen, Jerson, G., Cadenas, James, J., Grady, Elena, V. (2006, May 16). Effect Of Insulin On Human Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis Is Modulated By Insulin-Induced Changes In Muscle Blood Flow And Amino Acid Availability. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804964/