BrainStuff Classics: How Can Diabetes Lead to Disordered Eating?

People with Type 1 diabetes are more likely to experience eating disorders, and the consequences can be serious. Learn why, and what can be done to help, in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/diabetes/why-diabulimia-is-so-dangerous.htm

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain
Stuff Lauren bogel Bomb here with another classic episode from
our archives. This one deals with the dangers of disordered eating,
especially when it co occurs with seasons like diabetes, which
unfortunately can happen often. I'll let former Lauren explain. Hey

(00:25):
brain Stuff, Lauren boge O bomb here. Today's episode discusses
eating disorders. So if that's not a topic you're up
for today, maybe skip it and Hey, take care of yourself, okay.
Having Type one diabetes, which used to be called juvenile diabetes,
is a series health problem that's treated mostly by taking
regular injections of insulin, but the disease can also trigger

(00:45):
an eating disorder called diabetic bulimia or diabolimia. This involves
skipping or altering insulin doses for the express purpose of
losing weight. While patients often drop unwanted pounds, it's extremely
dangerous for people with diabetes to skip in salon, leaving
them vulnerable to dangerous complications. Diabellemia potentially affects as many

(01:05):
as one third of young women diagnosed with type one diabetes,
although men do experience it too. People who have type
one diabetes are at double the risk of developing an
eating disorder than those without diabetes, compared with better known
eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Diabelimia has been more
recently realized as a threat to people with diabetes, with

(01:26):
its earliest appearances in medical journals in the nineteen eighties.
It still hasn't earned an official medical diagnosis all its own,
but it is recognized by most medical professionals and is
referred to as e d d MT one, although this
is more of a blanket diagnosis for people with type
one diabetes dealing with any type of eating disorder. People
with type one diabetes are required to maintain a fastidious

(01:49):
diet and must also check their blood sugar levels multiple
times a day. Eating disorders like diabelimia often emerge thanks
to this hyper focus on food and numbers. Diabolimia can
develop on its own, but sometimes a phenomenon called diabetes
rebellion occurs, in which a patient will be so sick
and tired of managing their sickness and tiredness that they'll

(02:09):
actively ignore treatment rules. Then the behavior snowballs into a
full blown case of diabelnia. For people with diabetes, the
pancreas isn't able to make insulin. The human body relies
on insulin, which is a hormone to transport glucose from
the blood stream directly into cells. Without insulin, your cells
can't absorb glucose, thus it isn't stored as fat or

(02:31):
used for energy like it's supposed to be. Instead, glucose
collects in the blood and is eventually expelled from the
body through urine, causing significant weight loss. Theoretically, by manipulating
your insulin levels or skipping your insulin shots, you can
eat anything you want and still lose weight, but this
comes at a serious price. In the short term. Poor
blood glucose management can actually stunt or slow growth in

(02:53):
adolescent patients, keeping them from reaching their full physical potential. Further,
assets called key tones and build up in the blood,
causing a chemical imbalance that is potentially life threatening. Down
the road, you could experience eye problems ranging from blurred
vision to total blindness. The kidneys are always at risk
for people with diabetes, and those who mismanaged their insulin

(03:14):
are far more likely to wind up on dialysis in
order to stay alive. Even more sobering is the fact
that the mortality rate is tripled for those with type
one diabetes who experience eating disorders as opposed to those
who do not. Signs of diabelimia can be settled if
you know someone with type one diabetes and suspect an
eating disorder, keep a close eye out for weight fluctuations,

(03:35):
avoidance of doctor appointments, dodged questions about insulin or general
disease management, as well as high HB A one C
blood levels. People with diabelimia will often exhibit signs of hyperglycemia,
like being very thirsty, unusually tired, having blurred vision, and
needing to urinate more than is normal. In the U
s Alone, thirty million people experience eating disorders, with one

(03:57):
person dyeing every sixty two minutes from related complications. In
fact of any mental illness, eating disorders have the highest
mortality rate. If you or someone you know is struggling,
go to National Eating Disorders dot Org for ideas, contact
a service like the Crisis text Line to get help
without having to talk on the phone, or Google for
other services available in your area. Today's episode is based

(04:25):
on the article why diabelimia is so Dangerous on how
staff works dot Com written by Aleia Hoyt. Brain Stuff
is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with how
staff works dot Com and it's produced by Tyler clang
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