Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by high levels of blood sugar. The disease gets its name from the Greek word for "siphon" because excessive urination, or "passing water like a siphon," is one of the symptoms. Excessive weight loss is another symptom, and patients can lose weight despite the excessive hunger and thirst that are also symptoms of the disease.
Sugar Metabolism
Poor sugar metabolism is the primary cause of diabetic weight loss. When you eat, your body converts the food into glucose and absorbs it into your bloodstream. In nondiabetics, the increased blood sugar triggers the pancreas to release insulin, which stimulates all the cells in your body to absorb the sugar from the blood and use it for energy. In people with diabetes, this process breaks down.
Type 1 Diabetes
With type 1 diabetes, the sugar enters your bloodstream, but the pancreas does not produce insulin. The sugar stays in the blood, where the cells are unable to use it for energy. Because the cells are not getting the energy they need, the brain triggers the body to break down fats. This results in rapid and excessive weight loss. The blood sugar then passes out of the body in the urine.
Type 2 Diabetes
With type 2 diabetes, the sugar enters your bloodstream, and the pancreas does release insulin, but the cells do not respond properly. This is a condition known as insulin resistance. The cells do not absorb the sugar, or they only partially absorb the sugar, and they don't get all the energy they need. As with type 1, the body breaks down fats to compensate for the lack of adequate energy, and the excess sugar passes through the urine.
Type 2 Weight Gain
Type 2 diabetes can also cause weight gain. Because the pancreas releases insulin, the cells might be able to use enough sugar to meet their energy needs, so the body doesn't break down fat. Your body will store some of the excess sugar as fat and pass the rest out of your body in the urine. Whether you experience weight loss or weight gain depends on how well your cells respond to insulin and your individual body chemistry.
References
- PubMed Health: Diabetes
- "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology"; Gerard Tortora et al; 2010
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