Hello,
I am in the process of writing a research paper on the correlation between type 1 diabetes and eating disorders. there isn’t a whole lot of info out there, so if anyone finds something that I could use, or if you want to share a tidbit of info that you’ve learned along the way, I would really appreciate it. I definitely think there should be more knowledge out there about this issue, it is HUGE.
thanks a lot
There is a great blog by one of our members, Lee Ann, called The Butter Compartment. You may find lots of resources there on diabulimia (click here) and eating disorders (click here)
Yes it is HUGE. I have had type 1 for 55 years. When I was a teenager and into my 20’s and 30’s I had discovered that if I kept my BG’s high I would dehydrate and actually loose weight. There was no home-meter testing in those days and I was raised to believe that “diabetes was a condition where you HAD to eat”. You had to eat at least 6 times a day - three full meals and three snacks a day. I am sure I developed an eating disorder. I knew my blood sugars were high when I was always thirsty and had to urinate all the time. I soon discovered that the more I urinated the more weight I lost. I wanted to be slim. After gaining almost 60 lbs in my first pregnancy ( I was very careful with my carbs during that time) I then went back into not watching my carbs and eating anything and everything, and I lost all the weight. I used to feel awful - but it was worth it to maintain my 120 lbs weight. ( I am 5ft 6ins.). A lot of type 1’s are slim, hopefully because they watch their diet and not because they are hyperglycemic and over-stressing their kidneys. If you need more information, please let me know…
Sheila
Well, her is my part. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my daughter, and was able to control it with diet. After that, I was hyperglycemic (low blood sugar). In 2002 I found out I had PCOS, and 2005 I was diagnosed with type 2. Then in 2007 I became a type 1. If you need any more info let me know.
I had a neighbor that had Type 1 who was diagnosed at the age of 15 I think it was. She didn’t take the news well and ended up dying from a combination of the eating disorders that she had and the complications to her diabetes. I’ll never forget how she looked before she died. she was only like 19 or 20.
I would actually be interested in seeing a paper on Diabetes and addiction as a whole. Eating disorders and addictions are all such a small number but when you combine them all into one topic, it is a much larger number and I think that you could maybe even present a more complete thesis on the topics
Once I attended a lecture on eating disorders (nothing related to diabetes), when the lecturer listed the ways to notice if someone has an eating disorder (counts what they eat, is obsessed with food, thinks about food all the time), I actually felt like many of the signs were things that I actually did because of diabetes.
It’s strange how eating consumes so much more of my thought and time than it did before…
Thanks for the shout-out, Kristin! 
There have been quite a few papers written over the years, but the bulk of them have been in professional diabetes journals. Sorry, but I can’t tell how old you are, Laura - is this a research paper for college, high school? Some articles can be found in full print versions online, but for others, you’ll likely only find abstracts unless you have access to a university library that carries subscriptions to those journals. Coincidentally enough, I got the latest issue of Diabetes Spectrum in the mail this afternoon, and the issue is on eating disorders. I’m looking forward to reading it, and plan to write at least one post for the blog, depending on what I find. If I can ever get today’s post finished and posted, it’s on ED’s too, although it’s just a personal thing - I’m not referencing any research or anything.
I’d say at this point, research has shown some convincing correlation between ED’s and D, although there is some conflicting research even on that. Mortality for diabetics with ED’s is certainly higher than it is amongst non-diabetics though, which is really not a big surprise. Similarly, complications amongst eating disordered diabetics are more common and happen earlier compared to non-eating disordered diabetic peers. The real research void at this juncture is that of effective treatment protocols. It’s starting to be done, but a handful of studies on that doesn’t add up to much. It’ll be quite a few years before there’s a substantive body of research on treating the problem.
Hi, thanks for all the replies its been really helpful. I’m in a pre-health type college program so this if for that. My school is pretty small so I might have to go elsewhere to find some of the journals you mentioned. by the way I love that your blog is called the butter compartment, my refrigerator looks exactly the same.
Yeah, I don’t think the some of the usual indicators really count here…
Before I went on the insulin pump I would crave sugar, was always hungry and over ate a lot gaining 100 pounds. I went blind, had a heart attack and much more before I got on this pump. My biggest mistake was thinking I was hungry when in reality I was thirsty from having such high blood sugars. I was always so tired that I had to drop out of college because I could not make it from hall to hall…I would just fall over and had to be rushed to the hospital for saline drip IVs. So my over eating disorder has ceased since I got on my insulin pump yet when I go to the grocery store without a least I bring home 90% carbs from breads to cake to hummus. Then when I get home and look at what I brought home I have to turn around and take everything back to the store. The manager is a diabetic and never gives me a hassle about returning these itmens. Hope this helps.
ugh! I carry diet soda with me everywhere. I drink it all day long as I cannot stand the taste of our water here. sigh… being on a well instead of city water stinks.
I’m also addicted to bread and anything sweet sends me into a search for more. Literally stuffing my face for hours without even realizing it.
This is all physically and emotionally damaging for me.
there is no correlation between eating disorders and type one diabetes. try looking for a correlation with type two. There is only poor eating habits which make type one worse.
I tend to agree with Steve on this. Although I can see the other points of view. I have no craving for sweets or desserts. I’ve been T1 for 54 years since age 4 and at least in my case it made my eating habits significantly better. I see T1’s who don’t eat well but it appears to be more a case of denial than anything else. Perhaps I’m sure just what an eating disorder is? Bulimia nervosa is certainly one we hear of, is it more prevalent in T1’s?. Many people say insulin makes you gain weight??? I thought that overeating made you gain weight. You need to eat a balanced diet. Since we were intended to be Omnivores I would think that being a Vegetarian an eating disorder?
I’d be interested in what you find.
I’m afraid that’s incorrect. From Diabetes Spectrum, vol 22, no 3, Summer 2009:
“Eating Disorders and Diabetes: Introduction and Overview” by Colton, P., Rodin, G., Bergenstal, R., & Parkin, C
“There has been controversy in the literature about the association of eating disorders and type 1 diabetes. However, interview-based studies and a meta-analytic review support the view that there is an increased risk for both subthreshold and full-syndrome eating disorders in girls and women with type 1 diabetes… Using a standardized diagnostic interview, full-syndrome eating disorders were diagnosed in 10% of teenage girls with type 1 diabetes and 4% of age-matched girls without type 1 diabetes. Subthreshold eating disorders were even more common, diagnosed in 14% of girls with type 1 diabetes and 8% of the nondiabetic comparison group… Deliberate insulin-omission is the most common method of purging in girls with type 1 diabetes and becomes progressively more common through the teen years. This behavior is reported by 2% of pre-teen girls, 11-15% of girls in the mid-teen years, and 30-39% of those in late teenage years and early adult years.”
I have a stack of research articles on the subject, and I’ve personally interviewed one of the country’s top experts in this field.
Very good - whatever its called I have been there, done that. Now I am old enough, and certainly more knowledgable to know better. Besides, withholding insulin makes you feel “awful”…
Sheila
Yes, especially when you die because of it, Remember that a type 1 who doesn’t get insulin dies in just a few days
People just don’t take as much as they should. They don’t completely stop taking it. I think all of us with T1 have the part about No insulin = death figured out pretty well.
Funny, I am actually google-ing various diabetes/eating disorder topics tonight because my dad and boyfriend “interventioned” me last night with a proposal that I go to a dibulima specific eating disorder program, There is a lot of excellent info on diabetes and eating disorders here, http://www.thebuttercompartment.com/?page_id=131
also this is the site for the specific treatment program http://www.centerforhopeofthesierras.com/diabulimia.html
Good luck with the paper!
Yup, go read Lee Ann’s Butter Compartment!