What Is Diabulimia

Diabulimia comes from the combination of the terms “diabetes” and “bulimia”. It is a recent finding of young patients diagnosed with a Type I diabetic condition. Although diabulimia is not considered an eating disorder, it is likened to a body image disorder.

In Type 1 diabetes, the patient produces little or no insulin, and hence need to take insulin shots every day in order to survive. Type 1 diabetes can inflict children from a young age and young adults.

However, some young patients soon learn more about their condition; specifically that their body is dependent on insulin, and that insulin is an anabolic or storage hormone. With insulin encouraging fat storage, they realise that weight gain is a possible consequence with taking insulin shots. In order to avoid putting on weight, these patients would often skip doses and manipulate taking their insulin shots. Thus, giving rise to the term “diabulimia”.

Recognise the similarity of diabulmia with a bulimic eating disorder condition? Bulimic eating disorder sufferers often undertake compensatory behavior such as vomitting the food that they just ate, in an attempt to manage any possible weight gain.

For diabulimics, they wise up to the technique on using insulin shots pretty quickly. They take just enough insulin to avoid going into diabetic ketoacidosis, and narrowly avoiding hospitalization.

So far, a diabulimia is not recognized as a medical condition, unlike anorexia or bulimia. However, the American Diabetes Association has long known about insulin omission as a tactic for weight control. An expert estimates that 450,000 Type 1 diabetic women in the United States one-third of the total have skipped or shortchanged their insulin to lose weight and are risking a coma and an early death. There is no doubt that diabulimia is becoming more common as the secret of controlling weight through managing insulin shots is being exchanged in online bulletin boards for diabetics as well as those with eating disorders

There can be several consequences if a Type 1 diabetic does not take the required insulin shots. They include dehydration, fatigue and a breakdown in muscle tissue. Other complications include eye and kidney failure and a high risk of coma, amputation and even death.

It is ironical that diabetics are often taught the basics of good diabetic management which also includes meal planning. However, some patients, with an unhealthy association with food, have been overlooked. Diabulimia is currently an under recognized condition that deserves more attention. Much like any other eating disorder, it should also be studied in light of obsessive preoccupation with weight and a distorted body image perception.

Read my blog on bulimia eating disorder as well as other types of eating disorders.