Eating disorders are broken down into two categories. Most of us know of either anorexia nervosa or bulimia, but very few people talk openly about another diabetes-related eating disorder: diabulimia.
The difference between the aforementioned disorders and diabulimia is that diabulimia does not involve food restriction. Instead, it centers on insulin restriction.
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Insulin Restriction to Lose Weight
This rarely talked about eating disorder is popping up among diabetics, especially young women. Diabulimia occurs with type 1 diabetics who restrict insulin intake to stay thin.
Those with type 1 diabetes are unable to produce their own insulin. When the body does not have insulin, it is unable to break down sugars. This essentially starves the body of nutrients, leading to extreme weight loss. It also, coincidentally and dangerously, spikes blood glucose levels.
While the immediate resulting weight loss may seem attractive at the onset of the disorder, the constantly elevated glucose levels can wreak havoc on the body. Complications anywhere from kidney failure up to death can occur from prolonged elevated glucose levels.
The difficulty with this disorder is that it is hard to catch. Very few people talk about it, both in the medical field and among diabetics.
Though insulin restriction will cause weight loss, it often isn’t alarming enough until major damage is already done.
Diabetics More Than Twice as Likely to Have Eating Disorder
Less than 2% of the entire US population suffers from either anorexia or bulimia. Around a whopping 5% of all type 1 diabetics suffer from an eating disorder.
Diabulimia is the most common way an eating disorder manifests in diabetes. The diabetic purposefully restricts insulin so that the body does not convert sugars into energy. This prevents the body from receiving nutrients, which leads to weight loss.
It is a slippery slope in the world of diabetes, as some people flirt with the idea of controlling weight with insulin restriction.
As it is difficult to differentiate a thin frame from an eating disorder, it is often too late when the proper diagnosis is made. This is why it is ever important to begin the discussion now, to raise awareness.
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[expand title=”References“]
Metro. URL Link. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
Walden Eating Disorders. URL Link. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
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