If you have Type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin effectively, and can’t transport the glucose to your cells. Instead, it builds up in your blood. When the glucose doesn’t arrive in your cells, your body thinks it’s starving and finds a way to compensate. It creates energy by burning fat and muscle at a rapid pace.
This weight loss can occur relatively quickly — over a few weeks to a couple of months.
It could be an early sign of diabetes.
Weight loss from diabetes is not usually a standalone symptom. It’s typically accompanied by other signs and symptoms including:
Unexplained weight loss can occur in people who have Type 2 diabetes, but it’s more commonly found in people with Type 1. Parents are often the first to notice the unusual weight loss in a child with Type 1 diabetes.
Healthcare professionals utilize a combination of medications and lifestyle modifications to treat type 2 diabetes. After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, expect to see a healthcare professional to create a treatment plan. It may be necessary to take on daily action steps, such as self-care behaviors, in order to manage diabetes. This also helps healthcare professionals know when the treatment plan needs to be updated.
What you eat/drink throughout your day and how active you are affects your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Being “overweight” (BMI of 25-29.9), or affected by obesity (BMI of 30-39.9) or severe obesity (BMI of 40 or greater), greatly increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The more excess weight you have, the more resistant your muscle and tissue cells become to your own insulin hormone.
Carbohydrates raise blood sugar more than other foods and will cause the body to make more insulin which can result in weight gain.
As we age, the risk of type 2 diabetes becomes greater. The pancreas ages right along with us and doesn’t pump insulin as accurately as it did when we were younger. As our cells age, they become more resistant to insulin as well.
Insulin resistance is when the insulin ratio is higher than the blood sugar level. This means the body’s insulin is not effectively reducing its sugar levels. People affected by type 2 diabetes, who exercise, appear to reduce the severity of insulin-resistance. Exercised muscles are able to use the extra sugar found in the blood.
After we eat a meal, the processes of chewing and chemical digestion produce glucose (sugar). This is the most readily available form of fuel for our organs- especially muscle and brain tissue. In a normal state, the glucose produced from these digestive processes enters our cells to help with other metabolic processes. The metabolic process is the making and breaking down of food. Insulin acts as a key that unlocks the door to let glucose in to feed our cells. When insulin is present, it also turns off the process of using glycogen from the liver. This ensures that the glucose levels do not rise further after a meal. Insulin reduces blood glucose by collecting any excess glucose that is present in the bloodstream so that it can be stored as glycogen for future use.
The body becomes resistant to insulin if it is not properly producing or using it. This resistance causes high blood sugar levels.
See "Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes" on page 2692.
In type 1 diabetes, which accounts for 5–10% of cases, the cause is an absolute deficiency of insulin secretion result ing from autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pan creas. Type 2 diabetes (90–95% of cases) results from a combination of the inability of muscle cells to respond to insulin properly (insulin resistance) and inadequate compensatory insulin secretion. Less common forms include gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which is associated with a 40–60% chance of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 5–10 years (261). Diabetes can also result from genetic defects in insulin action, pancreatic disease, surgery, infections, and drugs or chemicals (4,261).
Genetic and environmental factors are strongly implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes. The exact genetic defects are complex and not clearly defined (4), but risk increases with age, obesity, and physical inactivity. Type 2 diabetes occurs more frequently in populations with hypertension or dyslipidemia, women with previous GDM, and non-Caucasian people including Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, Asians, and Pacific Islanders.
8Division of Diabetes Translation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia;
PA causes increased glucose uptake into active muscles balanced by hepatic glucose production, with a greater reliance on carbohydrate to fuel muscular activity as intensity increases. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) evidence category A(see Tables 1and and22for explanation).
Basic objectives in the care of the person who has diabetes include maintaining normal blood glucose levels, preventing complications, and:
The type of insulin that has its peak activity 11 hours after administration and acts for approximately 20 to 29 hours is:
The dose of insulin required for a meal is usually about 1 unit of insulin per:
Sources of blood glucose include dietary carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and:
A standard blood test that is used to evaluate long-term management and control in clients who have diabetes is: glycated hemoglobin level. Basic objectives in the care of the person who has diabetes include maintaining normal blood glucose levels, preventing complications, and: maintaining optimal nutrition.
The hormone that regulates blood glucose level by inhibiting interactions of insulin and glucagon is: somatostatin. The nutrient that produces ketones as a by-product of metabolism is: fat. A common symptom among people with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes is: poor wound healing.
Insulin is a(n): hormone. Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is related to: overweight and obesity. One of the most common tools used for meal planning for clients with type 1 diabetes, based on the primary nutrient affecting postprandial blood glucose levels and insulin requirements, is: carbohydrate counting.
The dose of insulin required for a meal is usually about 1 unit of insulin per: 15 g carbohydrate. The effects of glucagon include: causing breakdown of liver glycogen.
1700 to 1800 kcal/day. The type of insulin that has its peak activity 11 hours after administration and acts for approximately 29 hours is: intermediate acting. Clients with type 1 diabetes can achieve more consistent blood glucose control using: intensive insulin therapy.
The alpha cells of the pancreas synthesize: glucagon. The pancreatic sensors of blood glucose levels are located in the: juncture points of the alpha, beta, and delta cells. One of the major functions of insulin is to: promote uptake of amino acids. The hormone that is considered to be an antagonist to insulin is:
Clinical laboratory results found in uncontrolled type 1 diabetes include: glycosuria. The term that refers to an elevated blood glucose level is: hyperglycemia. The pathophysiology of diabetes has most effect on the metabolism of: carbohydrates and fats. The normal range for blood glucose is:
Symptoms of hypoglycemia include hyperactivity, weight gain, and sleeplessness.
High-sugar diets increase blood triglycerides in people with metabolic syndrome.
simple sugar in grapes, carrots, and honey that the body converts to fat.
Mark's HbA1c is 8.5. Mark has type 2 diabetes. After testing Mark's blood, his physician told him that his blood glucose level was OK, but he needs to do a better job of controlling his blood glucose level.
Susan has type 2 diabetes. According to Susan's latest medical report, her fasting blood glucose level was 95 mg/dl. After he reviewed the entire report, Susan's physician told her to do a better job of controlling her blood glucose level.
The most appropriate short-term goal when teaching this client to control the diabetes is: "1) adhere to the medical regimen
Insulin injections may be given during times of stress-induced hyperglycemia. Oral insulin is not available because of the breakdown of the insulin by digestion. Options 1, 2 and 3 are incorrect
1, 4, 6 Rationale: Classic signs of diabetes mellitus include polydipsia (excessive thirst), polyphagia (excessive hunger), and polyuria (excessive urination). Because the body is starving from the lack of glucose the cells are using for energy, the client has weight loss, not weight gain.
Insulin resisitance is inidcated by a daily insulin requirement of 200 units or more. Diabetic ketoacidosis, an acute metabolic condition, usually is caused by absent or markedly decreased amounts of insulin. A home health nurse is at the home of a client with diabetes and arthritis.
Answer B - Rationale: In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin, but the insulin is insufficient for the body's needs or the cells do not respond to the insulin appropriately.
Used as a diagnostic tool, A1C levels of 6.5% or higher on two tests indicate diabetes. A1C of 6% to 6.5% is considered prediabetes.". During a diabetes screening program, a patient tells the nurse, "My mother died of complications of type 2 diabetes.
Answer B - Rationale: In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin, but the insulin is insufficient for the body's needs or the cells do not respond to the insulin appropriately. The other information describes the physiology of type 1 diabetes.