Diabulimia, Weight Loss Gains Public Awareness
Type 1 Diabetics Risk Life and Limbs to Lose Pounds
Mar 14, 2009
Losing weight is difficult for anyone who is overweight, but for people with diabetes the task is next to impossible. If maintaining control over a serious disease isn't difficult enough already, a relatively new behavior condition has surfaced. Diabulimia presents a serious health threat to teenagers and young adults. With newly-diagnosed cases of type 1 diabetes on the rise, this serious weight loss strategy is rapidly gaining attention by the public.
Diabetes and Bulimia, Two Deadly Conditions
Type 1 diabetes (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) usually manifests itself in children and young adults. Persons with the disorder take daily insulin injections to control blood sugar levels. Left untreated, type 1 diabetes can lead to blindness, amputation of limbs affected by vascular disease (particularly in the legs and feet), kidney failure, heart disease, and death.
Bulimia is commonly known as a type of eating disorder that involves binging on large amounts of food, and then purging - throwing up, to avoid gaining weight. The person with bulimia constantly sees himself as fat, no matter what anyone else says or what the scale shows.
The danger of diabulimia lies in reducing the amount of prescribed insulin which individuals with type 1 diabetes must take in order to survive. A storage hormone, insulin prevents the breakdown of muscle mass. Unfortunately, it also promotes the storage of fat.
An Obsession with Body Image
People who have type 1 diabetes worry about their appearance just like anyone else. Young women are sensitive to unsightly needle marks and skin bruising from insulin injections.
Women with bulimia outnumber men by ten to one. As more and more people join the cause to wipe out obesity, the number of male diabulimic victims is expected to rise. The number of Americans with diabulimia is greater than the number of Europeans with the condition. In the United States, society encourages both men and women alike to achieve the perfect body.
Warning Signs of Diabulimia
- Fatigue
- Dehydration
- Frequent urination
- Loss of muscle mass
- Insulin supply lasts longer than usual
- Weight loss in spite of a good appetite
The symptoms above are common to uncontrolled diabetes and may not be readily recognized by family members or medical practitioners. Insulin-deprivation speeds up the onset of the most severe complications associated with the disease, but by then the damage is irreversible. So how does one recognize bulimia before it's too late?
Danger Signals That Suggest Bulimia
- Eating excessive amounts of food (binging)
- Leaving the table immediately to seek privacy - usually the bathroom. Once there, the person throws-up (purging) by using a finger to gag, or vomits by using some other method. Laxative abuse is also a common method of quickly ridding the body of food.
- Excessive use of laxatives
- Irritation to the hand used for gagging. Teeth often cause small scrapes to the skin on the finger and knuckles.
- Bloodshot eyes from purging
- Flush skin on the face and neck
- Scent of mouthwash or toothpaste used to mask the odor of vomit
Individuals with diabulimia can become quite adept to taking just enough insulin to prevent ketoacidosis. In spite of the terrifying consequences, victims of diabulimia may deny any wrongdoing. They are so consumed with being thin that they fail to see the destruction inside their bodies until vital organs begin to shut down.
Spread Awareness of Diabulimia and Bulimia
Diabetes is a deadly disease and bulimia exacerbates the condition. If you suspect someone you know may have diabulimia, act immediately before it's too late. Help others who may have diabulimia by spreading awareness of the condition and knowing the warning signs.
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