Unintentional weight loss T1 vs T2

Andydragon

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Hi all,

I’m curious… unintentionally losing weight is a known side effect for diabetes. It’s indicated on the NHS and other sites as such and I personally suffered prior to diagnosis.

But it’s often seen as more of a type 1 issue than type 2. I wondered if it is actually as rare in type 2 as it is thought or whether the fact I had it has biased my views somewhat
 
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Antje77

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To confuse things even more, not all T1's/LADA's lose weight. I didn't, as far as I know, at least not enough to notice.
 

In Response

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My non-scientific understanding is that excess insulin causes weight gain. Due to insulin resistance, the pancreas of someone with type 2 diabetes is likely to produce excess insulin.
In contrast, someone with Type 1 is producing too little insulin so their body will break down fat and protein for energy resulting in weight loss. How much weight is lost is probably dependent upon how quickly our insulin producing cells are dying off. If they are dying off slowly, they may be producing enough insulin to get by ... for now.
I lost a little weight but only notice it because, normally, my weight is incredibly stable.
 

Antje77

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My non-scientific understanding is that excess insulin causes weight gain. Due to insulin resistance, the pancreas of someone with type 2 diabetes is likely to produce excess insulin.
In contrast, someone with Type 1 is producing too little insulin so their body will break down fat and protein for energy resulting in weight loss.
That's what I thought. But apparently it happens in some T2's as well. Which makes sense if the insulin they have going around isn't helping the glucose in their blood being stored as fat.
But I know very little about the technicalities so please don't take my post as the truth, just thinking out loud here!
 
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Andydragon

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That's what I thought. But apparently it happens in some T2's as well. Which makes sense if the insulin they have going around isn't helping the glucose in their blood being stored as fat.
But I know very little about the technicalities so please don't take my post as the truth, just thinking out loud here!
It’s a known side effect for T2 as I said, but could be the reasons you are both saying that makes it more applicable to T1

https://www.verywellhealth.com/rapid-weight-loss-5101064

“Glucose is a sugar released into the bloodstream when you eat and drink. The pancreas makes insulin in response to the higher sugar levels in your blood. The body needs this hormone to release glucose to all its cells. With diabetes, the glucose builds up in your bloodstream. You may lose weight because the body needs an energy source and burns fat and muscle instead“

when I was diagnosed my blood levels were extremely high, that suggests for me this was the impact. Makes me think though, excess insulin isn’t helping with the wxcess glucose, I think I understand very little on how it works!

As I’m well over a decade and now in remission, it’s definitely T2 in my case

seems like there may be sone form of tipping point then? Weight gain in general but at a certain point the levels in the blood are just too high. In t1 the lower levels of insulin mean it happens more often maybe?

there are also drugs like the flozins that help weight loss by causing you to extrete glucose in urine.
 

catinahat

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The extent of insulin resistance is different for all type 2's. If your resistance to your insulin is so severe that your body can't get enough energy from the glucose in your blood then it has no choice but to use its fat stores.
 
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Antje77

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@Andydragon and @catinahat , your thinking sounds plausible to me.
Which doesn't prove a thing of course, but it being some gradual thing makes sense.
 
M

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The extent of insulin resistance is different for all type 2's. If your resistance to your insulin is so severe that your body can't get enough energy from the glucose in your blood then it has no choice but to use its fat stores.

But it’s literally impossible to burn any meaningful amount of stored energy in the presence of excessive insulin. When type 2 begin to dramatically lose weight unintentionally it will almost certainly be because they have progressed to the stage where their pancreas has given up and taken its ball home.
 

Dr Snoddy

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I can only quote my own experience here. One of the indications that something was wrong was rapid unintentional weight loss along with frequent urination, thirst, fatigue, acanthus nigrans in one armpit and some other indicators. I was diagnosed as Type 2 with an HbA1c of 108. Initially I was treated with Metformin and put myself on a low carbohydrate eating plan. I have been in remission for almost 8 years and am currently doing a
50 miles walk along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Not bad for a 67 year old who is now much fitter and healthier. So I don't really fit the metabolic theories.
 

EllieM

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When type 2 begin to dramatically lose weight unintentionally it will almost certainly be because they have progressed to the stage where their pancreas has given up and taken its ball home.

That makes sense too, but @Andydragon says be lost weight at initial diagnosis and is now drug free. While I suppose he could have been unidagnosed for several years it seems unlikely that he would have reached the exhausted pancreas stage. Though my understanding is that insulin producing cells that have been damaged by hgh blood sugars can recover, at least to an extent.
 
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M

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That makes sense too, but @Andydragon says be lost weight at initial diagnosis and is now drug free. While I suppose he could have been unidagnosed for several years it seems unlikely that he would have reached the exhausted pancreas stage. Though my understanding is that insulin producing cells that have been damaged by hgh blood sugars can recover, at least to an extent.

The pancreas doesn’t actually have to be broken. It can just be clogged up with fat. This is reversible.
 

Andydragon

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The pancreas doesn’t actually have to be broken. It can just be clogged up with fat. This is reversible.
That’s interesting, it tallies with @Dr Snoddy as well as I suffered pretty much the same symptoms (except I don’t know what acanthus nigrans is) and drugs moderated the effects for a long time (hence not T1) and the weight loss I had reversed to the point of drug free and I have no doubt I lost a lot of internal fat along with it