Diabetic Hunger is one of the three classic symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus, both Type 1 and Type 2. To understand the symptoms of Diabetes, one must first understand what the disease is and how it compromises the body. Diabetes is a systemic condition in which a person cannot utilize glucose properly due to a lack of insulin or the body’s inability to absorb insulin. Insulin is necessary in order for the body to transfer glucose out of the bloodstream and into muscles, tissues, and fats, where it can be utilized as fuel. The sugar remains in the bloodstream and it begins to act as a poisonous substance. The result of this high blood glucose level may cause a person to feel hungry, even though food was just consumed.
The act of eating, however, is not the problem. Diabetic hunger stems from the fact that the body is unable to absorb any of the calories or nutrients. The individual can continue to eat and regardless of the portion or of the caloric content of the food, the person may never feel satisfied.Another feature of this process is that the individual may experience rapid weight loss. The food is enters the body, and the digestive system works hard to break the food down into usable nutriens, but without the function of insulin, it is also as if the person is eating nothing at all.
Diabetic Hunger-Part b
Some people, in addition to Diabetic hunger may crave foods that are high in carbohydrates or are highly refined. These foods have high sugar content, which is what the body is being deprived of. Although the sugar is in the blood, it is not beneficial to the body in that location or capacity. When individuals are in this state, they also have an excessive need to drink more and can easily become dehydrated. As some individuals may not be able to differentiate between thirst and hunger, the effects of dehydration, for some people, may contribute to an increased appetite.
It is also possible that nerve damage stemming from the toxic blood sugar has interfered with the brain and the body’s system of communication. For example, signals from the stomach to the brain that would signal a person to feel full and stop eating may be defunct. The stomach could actually be full, but the brain would be incapable of comprehending the information.
Diabetic Hunger-Part c
While this vignette of Diabetic hunger paints a picture of individuals with Diabetes Mellitus all being very thin or underweight, the majority of people with this disease often are overweight or obese according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There are several reasons for this discrepancy. The first and most important is the factors that lead to Diabetes. The majorities of Type 2 Diabetics are overweight and also have high levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. Lack of exercise and poor diet play a role in the development of this disease and are habitual.
Type 1 Diabetes, however, does not result from lifestyle choices and therefore obesity does not affect the majority of its sufferers. Another reason for this variance may be that medications doctors prescribe to treat the disease may promote weight gain. Additionally, an individual who is obese and loses fifteen pounds from the onset of Diabetes is still going to be overweight. The individual will need to lose a significant number of pounds before moving from obese to overweight and overweight to average weight.
