Metabolism refers to the way your body converts calories into food. For people with diabetes, this process often requires monitoring. Your thyroid gland plays an important role in regulating your metabolism. Hyperthyroidism, a type of thyroid disorder, speeds up your metabolism and results in several symptoms. Diabetes and hyperthyroidism increase your risk of serious health problems.
Fast Metabolism
Your thyroid gland controls the rate at which your body burns calories, as well as of your heart rate. An overactive thyroid gland, or hyperthyroidism, causes an increase in the speed of your metabolism, due to an increase in the production of thyroid hormone. Grave's disease, an autoimmune disorder, causes most cases of hyperthyroidism, although other causes may exist. A fast metabolism may cause various symptoms, including weight loss, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, irritability, muscle weakness, frequent bowel movements, lighter menstrual periods and insomnia.
Diabetes
During the metabolic process, people with diabetes fail to produce adequate amounts of insulin in response to the sugar content of foods. In healthy individuals, the production of insulin helps the glucose enter cells. A lack of insulin can cause the glucose to build up in your bloodstream, often causing serious complications, such as blindness, kidney failure and heart disease. For people living in the United States, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of diabetes include sudden vision changes, excessive tiredness, infections, unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst and frequent urination.
Considerations
Hyperthyroidism and diabetes both affect the way your body metabolizes food. A fast metabolism may decrease the amount of time it takes you to process the sugar from food into glucose, making it important to monitor your blood sugar levels according to your doctor's instructions. Although diet, physical activity and blood testing are basic treatments in many cases of diabetes, your specific therapy may vary, depending on the severity of your diabetes. Some people with diabetes require only basic dietary changes, while others need regular insulin injections or oral medication.
Precautions
Contact your doctor if you experience symptoms of diabetes or hyperthyroidism. Left untreated, hyperthyroidism can increase your risk of osteoporosis, a condition that causes weak, brittle bones, especially in postmenopausal women. Uncontrolled diabetes may result in amputations of your lower extremities, coma or death. Monitoring your glucose levels can help you minimize the risk of serious complications.
