Unexplained Weight Loss In Diabetes: Why It Happens?

Losing or gaining a few kilos is normal, but have you been losing significant weight without making any efforts? Take a hint, it could be a warning sign of diabetes. Different types of diabetes and unexplained loss of weight are often closely related. Let’s understand how.

• High blood sugar: Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can involve dramatic loss of weight over a number of days at the onset of the particular disease, but the situation is more common among type 1 diabetic patients. The insufficient amount of insulin in the body prevents the cells from getting the required amount of glucose from the blood to use as energy. In this situation, the body starts burning the fats to fulfill energy requirements which result in a sudden loss of body weight.
• Dehydration: In diabetes, frequent urination is a common symptom which makes the body lose all its fluid, but the intake of fluid is not enough to prevent this loss. Hence, the body is dehydrated, and kidneys tend to work harder for the filtration of the excess glucose in the body. Now this increased glucose present in the urine draws the required fluid from the tissues and thus, makes you lose a significant number of calories during urination. 
• Breakdown of muscles: If diabetes is not controlled properly, losing weight by wasting of the muscles is extremely common. Due to the deficiency of insulin, the synthesis of muscles in the body is decreased, and at the same time, the breakdown of muscles is increased. This results in the loss of body weight.

So, weight loss is a key symptom for diagnosing diabetes. And if you have been experiencing something similar, then always consult with a doctor.