wow
watching the morning show on fox 2 about a couple young girls afflicted with diabulimia..
diabulimia (a portmanteau of diabetes and bulimia) refers to persons with type 1 diabetes who omit their insulin injections for the purpose of weight loss. without the insulin injections, blood sugar levels rise as the cells cannot take in glucose. the body, in an attempt to lower the blood sugar, spills excess glucose into the urine.
prior to a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes there is a weight loss but, upon diagnosis, a person with type 1 diabetes is put on insulin injections, a more controlled diet, and several blood sugar checks a day. the weight that was lost is quickly gained back. however, someone who realizes that omitting or severely reducing insulin dosages leads to weight loss may be tempted to do so, especially if the individual believes they are overweight. omitting insulin injections does have the effect of losing weight, even though appetite and thirst increase, as well as urine volume.
has anyone seen this before? i'm wondering how common it is.
any thoughts?
read wikipedia article in its entirety: