Glucose is your body's preferred source of energy. Food, especially carbohydrates, are converted into glucose by your digestive system and then released into your bloodstream. Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, moves glucose from your blood into your cells for use as energy. If you don't have enough insulin, your cells will burn stored fat for energy instead of glucose, resulting in weight loss.
The Importance of Insulin
Insulin moves glucose from your bloodstream into your cells. If you have type 1 diabetes, also called "insulin-dependent" diabetes, your pancreas does not produce any insulin. If you have type 2 diabetes, the problem is either that your pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin for your needs or your body doesn't use the insulin you produce effectively. Without insulin, your cells don't get the energy they need, so they look for alternative sources of energy. After using up available glucose, your body will start to use stored fat for energy. Many low-carb diets, such as the Atkins Diet, are based on switching your body from burning glucose to burning fat as a weight loss tool.
High Glucose Levels and Weight Loss
If you don't have enough insulin to move glucose into your cells, it continues to circulate in your bloodstream, causing high blood sugar, known as hyperglycemia. At the same time you're suffering from hyperglycemia, your cells are starving for energy and start burning fat, resulting in weight loss. Because your cells are burning fat, your brain calls for more glucose -- causing hunger and an increase in appetite. Some big clues for undiagnosed diabetes include increased hunger, weight loss and high blood sugar levels, which all point to a lack of insulin. If you already know you have diabetes, chronic hyperglycemia coupled with weight loss indicates you need a change in treatment -- either limiting carbohydrates or increasing your insulin dosage.
Ketones
If you've already been diagnosed with diabetes but still have high blood sugar and weight loss, you probably need to increase your insulin usage. According to Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center, many women have purposefully cut back on their insulin to lose weight, but this can be very dangerous.
Burning fat for fuel releases ketones into your body. Most people can excrete ketones in their urine, but diabetics often have compromised liver and kidney function and can not eliminate excess ketones. If ketones build up in your bloodstream, they can cause ketoacidosis -- a potentially fatal diabetic coma. Ketoacdiosis only occurs if you have high glucose and high ketone levels simultaneously, and is most likely to occur if your body doesn't have the insulin it needs.
Weight Gain
An increase in insulin will help your body get the energy it needs. As your body starts to use glucose for energy, excess glucose will be effectively stored as fat, rather than excreted in your urine. A diabetic who increases their insulin dosage may gain weight. But weight gain may be a better choice than diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy or kidney failure, which are associated with chronic high glucose levels. You may have to eat fewer calories or increase your activity level to compensate for the fact that your body now has the correct amount of insulin. However, keeping your glucose levels under control, even if you gain a few pounds, is a healthier choice than losing weight with high blood sugar levels.
