Disordered Eating and Insulin Reduction

Taking Risks With Diabetes

Because those with diabetes must monitor their diets so actively, in part by regulating insulin, eating disorders can be especially dangerous. Now we have learned that some with Type I diabetes (those whose bodies do not naturally produce enough insulin) use their condition to lose weight intentionally.

It is common for a person diagnosed with Type I diabetes to lose weight before the condition is diagnosed. The cause is a metabolism that has gone out of balance. Insulin helps to regulate the metabolism, so when insulin therapy starts, the weight previously lost returns. Women are particularly likely to respond to insulin therapy with weight gain (Barrett, 2007).

Dangers of Insulin Reduction for Eating Disorders

This can be a revelation to someone vulnerable to eating disorders. It is very simple to ignore health consequences and think, "If I reduce my insulin, I'll lose weight." Insulin reduction then becomes a powerful and reliable way to control weight, something that everyone with an eating disorder wants.

The sense of power and control may be enhanced by the interplay of diabetes and the eating disorder. As with any long-term medical issue, diabetes can make a person feel powerless: No one asks for diabetes, and it doesn't go away. But the option of reducing insulin to lose weight makes the diabetes useful. Now the person is not at the mercy of the medical issue. The diabetes transforms from a source of anxiety to a tool to soothe anxiety.

Physical Dangers of Insulin Reduction

The cost of insulin reduction to the body can be devastating. Without insulin, blood glucose levels rise. When they rise too high (hyperglycemia) for too long, the result is a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), in which blood becomes too acidic. Acidic blood can lead to cell damage, coma, and death. Other problems include retinopathy and hypoglycemia (Manzella, 2007).

Creativity in Disordered Eating

Using insulin reduction to lose weight is a testament to the creative mind of a person with an eating disorder. Of course, the creativity works to harm the body and, eventually, to produce more anxiety. What is hopeful is that this creativity, when turned toward finding ways out of the eating disorder, can become a powerful resource to a person who believes she has nothing to offer.