For many people, weight loss without effort sounds like a dream come true. However, weight loss is often unwanted and can be a signal of serious health problems. If you're losing weight and you don't know why, it may be worth a trip to a doctor's office. Investigating unwanted weight loss sooner rather than later makes it much more likely to successfully treat the cause and stop or even reverse the process.
Major Depression
One symptom of major depression is a loss of appetite, which results in unintentional weight loss. Depression often causes a general loss of interest in the pleasures of life, including eating. Other symptoms of depression include fatigue, decreased sex drive and a general feeling of sadness or hopelessness, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, occurs when the pancreas fails to produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and adolescents, although it is sometimes not diagnosed until adulthood. A classic symptom of Type 1 diabetes is rapid weight loss. Other symptoms include excessive thirst and frequent urination, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Malnutrition
Although starvation is one form of malnutrition, it is not the only cause. Malnutrition can also occur with an unbalanced or generally inadequate diet, according to Medline Plus. Malabsorption is a related condition caused by the body's inability to absorb fats, sugars, proteins or vitamins from foods. Malabsorption can be a symptom of medical disorders such as Crohn's disease or cystic fibrosis. It can also result from the presence of tapeworms or other parasites. Malnutrition and malabsorption can both result in unwanted weight loss.
Cancer
The presences of certain types of cancer, including colon cancer, can cause unintentional weight loss, according to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute report that rapid weight loss is also a possible sign of pancreatic cancer, a particularly deadly form of cancer.
AIDS
Since the beginning of the epidemic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, about 25 million people worldwide have died from the disease or its complications, according to Medline Plus. One symptom of advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is wasting syndrome. Wasting syndrome is extreme weight loss resulting from a loss of appetite.
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