WEBVTT - Does Diabetes Lead to Disordered Eating?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Bogel bomb here. Today's episode discusses eating disorders. So

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<v Speaker 1>if that's not a topic you're up for today, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>skip it, and hey, take care of yourself, okay. Having

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<v Speaker 1>type one diabetes, which used to be called juvenile diabetes,

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<v Speaker 1>is a series health problem that's treated mostly by taking

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<v Speaker 1>regular injections of insulin, but the disease can also trigger

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<v Speaker 1>an eating disorder called diabetic bulimia or diabolimia. This involves

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<v Speaker 1>skipping or altering insulin doses for the express purpose of

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<v Speaker 1>losing weight. While patients often drop unwanted pounds, it's extremely

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<v Speaker 1>dangerous for people with diabetes to skip insulin, leaving them

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<v Speaker 1>vulnerable to dangerous complications. Diabellemia potentially affects as many as

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<v Speaker 1>one third of young women diagnosed with type one diabetes,

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<v Speaker 1>although men do experience it too. People who have type

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<v Speaker 1>one diabetes are at double the risk of developing an

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<v Speaker 1>eating disorder than those without diabetes, compared with better known

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<v Speaker 1>eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Diabelimia has been more

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<v Speaker 1>recently realized as a threat to people with diabetes, with

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<v Speaker 1>its earliest appearances in medical journals in the nineteen eighties.

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<v Speaker 1>It still hasn't earned an official medical diagnosis all its own,

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<v Speaker 1>but it is recognized by most medical professionals and is

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<v Speaker 1>referred to as e D d MT one, although this

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<v Speaker 1>is more of a blanket diagnosis for people with type

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<v Speaker 1>one diabetes dealing with any type of eating disorder. People

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<v Speaker 1>with type one diabetes are required to maintain a fastidious

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<v Speaker 1>diet and must also check their blood sugar levels multiple

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<v Speaker 1>times a day. Eating disorders like diabelimia often emerge thanks

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<v Speaker 1>to this hyper focus on food and numbers. Diabolimia can

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<v Speaker 1>develop on its own, but sometimes a phenomenon called diabetes

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<v Speaker 1>rebellion occurs, in which a patient will be so sick

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<v Speaker 1>and tired of managing their sickness and tiredness that they'll

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<v Speaker 1>actively ignore treatment rules. Then the behavior snowballs into a

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<v Speaker 1>full blown case of diabelimia. For people with diabetes, the

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<v Speaker 1>pancreas is an a to make insulin. The human body

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<v Speaker 1>relies on insulin, which is a hormone to transport glucose

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<v Speaker 1>from the blood stream directly into cells. Without insulin, your

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<v Speaker 1>cells can't absorb glucose, thus it isn't stored as fat

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<v Speaker 1>or used for energy like it's supposed to be. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>glucose collects in the blood and is eventually expelled from

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<v Speaker 1>the body through urine, causing significant weight loss. Theoretically, by

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<v Speaker 1>manipulating your insulin levels or skipping your insulin shots, you

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<v Speaker 1>can eat anything you want and still lose weight, but

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<v Speaker 1>this comes at a serious price. In the short term.

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<v Speaker 1>Poor blood glucose management can actually stunt or slow growth

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<v Speaker 1>in adolescent patients, keeping them from reaching their full physical potential. Further,

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<v Speaker 1>assets called key tones can build up in the blood,

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<v Speaker 1>causing a chemical imbalance that is potentially life threatening. Down

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<v Speaker 1>the road, you could experience eye problems ranging from blurred

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<v Speaker 1>vision to total blindness. The kidneys are always at risk

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<v Speaker 1>for people with diabetes, and those who mismanaged their insulin

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<v Speaker 1>are far more likely to wind up on dialysis in

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<v Speaker 1>order to stay alive. Even more so o bring is

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that the mortality rate is tripled for those

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<v Speaker 1>with type one diabetes who experience eating disorders as opposed

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<v Speaker 1>to those who do not. Signs of diabelimia can be

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<v Speaker 1>settled if you know someone with type one diabetes and

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<v Speaker 1>suspect an eating disorder, keep a close eye out for

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<v Speaker 1>weight fluctuations, avoidance of doctor appointments, dodged questions about insulin

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<v Speaker 1>or general disease management, as well as high HB A

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<v Speaker 1>one C blood levels. People with diabelimia will often exhibit

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<v Speaker 1>signs of hyperglycemia, like being very thirsty, unusually tired, having

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<v Speaker 1>blurred vision, and needing to urinate more than is normal.

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<v Speaker 1>In the U s alone, thirty million people experience eating disorders,

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<v Speaker 1>with one person dyeing every sixty two minutes from related complications.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact of any mental illness, eating disorders have the

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<v Speaker 1>highest mortality rate. If you or someone you know is struggling,

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<v Speaker 1>go to National Eating Disorders dot Org for ideas, contact

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<v Speaker 1>a service like the Crisis text Line to get help

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<v Speaker 1>without having to talk on the phone, or Google for

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<v Speaker 1>other services available in your area. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by Alia Hoyt and produced by Tyler Clang. For more

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<v Speaker 1>on this and lots of other health related topics is

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<v Speaker 1>at our home planet, how stuff works dot com.