High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, is a result of too little or inadequate insulin needed to digest the sugars in your bloodstream. Although a common symptom for people with diabetes, frequent episodes of high blood sugar can lead to serious or potentially life-threatening complications. For people with eating disorders, following strict diets to control blood sugars may be a difficult task, albeit a necessary one. Working with a physician or registered dietitian can help you better understand your medicines and diet to control your blood sugar.
Causes of Hyperglycemia
High blood sugar can occur for several reasons, some of which can be more easily controlled than others. Taking your insulin or oral diabetes medicine improperly or not at all can lead to hyperglycemia. Eating foods too high in carbohydrates can also spike your blood sugars. For people with bulimia or binge eating disorder, large quantities of food at one given time can spike blood sugars. Other less controllable factors such as stress and illness can also affect your blood glucose levels.
Organ and Nerve Damage
For people with an eating disorder who may already be at risk of organ damage, frequently uncontrolled blood glucose can aggravate the condition and may lead to kidney failure, or nephropathy. The high blood sugars damage the vessels of the kidneys needed to remove waste from the body. Once in kidney failure, a person must either have a transplant or go on permanent dialysis, which is a machine that does the job of the kidneys by filtering impurities from the body. Another organ that can become damaged from high blood sugars is the eye. Diabetic retinopathy is a disease of the retina in the eye that can eventually lead to sight loss. Diabetic neuropathy is a form of nerve damage as the result of consistently high blood sugar levels. People with diabetic neuropathy first lose sensations in their extremities, such as their fingers and toes. Neuropathy is also one of the major causes of leg and foot amputations. Lastly, stroke is another possible complication associated with high blood sugars.
Heart Disease
According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are as much as four times more likely to develop heart disease than people without diabetes. In addition, blood pressure may also be elevated. Because of this, people with diabetes are encouraged to follow a low-fat, heart-healthy diet as part of their diabetic meal plan.
Following a Consistent Diet
One of the key components for successfully controlled blood sugars is a regimented diet plan. For people with disordered eating, sticking to a strict eating schedule may seem difficult. Working with a registered dietitian and a psychologist can help them understand the importance of following a diabetic diet and also develop a customized plan.
'Diabulemia'
Although not an officially recognized eating disorder, people with "diabulemia" intentionally avoid taking their insulin in order to lose weight. This extremely dangerous practice can lead to muscle tissue breakdown and may also cause ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is the result of the body using fat for energy because it is not getting enough insulin, and in turn, creates ketones in the blood stream. Very high levels of ketones can result in coma or death. Ketoacidosis is usually a result of poorly controlled blood sugars, reiterating the importance of following the health plan prescribed by your physician.
