2024-03-21 13:00:00
diet
Did I lose weight even though I didn’t starve or exercise? Don’t like it, but suspect it’s a ‘disease’
Reporter Lee Hae-rim
Entered 2024/03/21 22:00
If you lose weight rapidly without exercising, it may be due to a disease such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or inflammatory bowel disease./Photo = Getty Image Bank There are times when you lose weight for no apparent reason. Rather than being happy that you went on a diet naturally, it is better to check your physical condition at least once. If you have a medical condition, you may lose weight even without exercising or dieting.
The first disease to suspect is hyperthyroidism. Patients with hyperthyroidism secrete excessive amounts of thyroid hormones that facilitate body metabolism. Therefore, even if you eat enough food, your energy is quickly exhausted and even muscle and fat are consumed. It may also be accompanied by emotional changes such as becoming nervous or restless. If you feel hot easily, you may sweat a lot, your pulse may speed up, and your heart may start pounding. If left untreated, heart complications or arrhythmia may occur, so it is best to treat it quickly. It is treated by taking antithyroid drugs that suppress the production of thyroid hormones, and sometimes radioactive iodine treatment or surgery is necessary.
Even if you have inflammatory bowel disease, you may suddenly lose weight. Inflammatory bowel disease is chronic inflammation of the digestive system. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are representative examples. If you are in your 10s to 30s and experience symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stool for several months, you may suspect inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic disease in which symptoms repeatedly improve and then worsen again, so drug treatment is performed for the purpose of controlling symptoms, preventing complications, and improving quality of life rather than curing the disease. If complications such as intestinal stricture, perforation, or abscess occur, surgical treatment may be necessary.
Diabetic patients can also lose weight. Diabetes is a disease in which the insulin secreted by the pancreas does not function properly and the sugar level in the blood increases. When blood sugar levels become excessively high, excess blood sugar is excreted through urine, and sugar is not converted well into cellular energy. As a result, weight loss may occur as the body uses body fat or protein as an energy source instead. If you lose weight despite eating well, have excessive thirst, or increase the amount of urine, you may have diabetes.
One of the typical symptoms of cancer, including colon cancer, biliary tract cancer, and blood cancer, is rapid weight loss. Cancer cells overconsume proteins and carbohydrates in the body during their growth process. Therefore, you may lose weight as you lose muscle. In particular, when cancer occurs in the digestive organs such as the stomach or large intestine, food is not digested and absorbed properly, leading to rapid weight loss. However, there is no need to necessarily suspect cancer just because you lose weight. Medically, it is reported that 16-36% of sudden weight loss is caused by weight loss, 60% of weight loss is due to other factors, and 24-26% of cases have an unknown cause. It is enough to check for other cancer symptoms through regular health checkups.
Meanwhile, if you are over the age of 40, you should especially pay attention to rapid weight changes. A study by Samsung Seoul Hospital found that if body weight is lost or gained by more than 3% in a checkup conducted within two years of the first health checkup after middle age, the risk of death from all causes increases. If you lose weight, your muscle mass also decreases, increasing your risk of death. Middle-aged people who experience significant weight changes without a clear reason are advised to get a health checkup or consult a specialist.
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