Eating Disorders, Tobacco

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are fairly common among teens, especially girls. There is some evidence that teens with diabetes may be more prone to eating disorders -- possibly because diabetes demands paying closer attention to food.

Eating disorders can take a variety of forms. Anorexia nervosa is an extreme obsession with food and physical appearance. People with this disorder basically starve themselves through limiting food intake and exercising excessively. No matter how thin they get, people with anorexia still see themselves as fat. People with bulimia have a similar obsession with food and appearance, however, they go through periods of binging (eating large amounts of food) and purging (getting rid of food by inducing vomiting or taking laxatives). These two disorders are not exclusive; people with eating problems may show signs of each.

Teens with diabetes and eating disorders may learn to manipulate their diabetes treatment in their quest to lose weight. They may deliberately skip or reduce their insulin dose to cause difficulty in food absorption. Such abuse can lead to high blood glucose and DKA.

Teens with diabetes and eating disorders may show some or all of the following warning signs:

• Extreme fluctuations in blood glucose
• Frequent hypoglycemia
• Frequent hyperglycemia or DKA
• Unhealthy preoccupation with food and weight, beyond what is necessary for diabetes care
• Talking about losing a large amount of weight, beyond what seems appropriate
• Switching to an extremely low-fat or low-calorie diet
• Evidence of binge eating
• Evidence of insulin manipulation

When left untreated, eating disorders can be fatal. If you suspect that your teen has an eating disorder, get her evaluated by a mental health professional with expertise in eating disorders.

Tobacco

Smoking and chewing tobacco is doubly dangerous for people with diabetes, because diabetes already increases the risk of heart disease and kidney problems. You can set an example by refraining from using tobacco or quitting. If your teen already smokes or chews, encourage her to quit. Keep in mind that tobacco is very addictive and that quitting can be difficult. Talk to the doctor about ways to make quitting easier.