Unintentional Weight Loss Causes

Introduction

It’s been almost two months now since Fatima had noticed for the first time that every dress of hers was feeling a size larger than usual. She realized that she was losing weight somehow but failed to get to its root cause. Then she started to intake foods containing fat, high calories, low fibre, etc. But nothing changed. She became worried.

After spending one more month in tension and anxiety, Fatima finally decided to seek clinical help to prevent her unintentional weight loss. There she came to know that apart from the rate of food intake and its quality, many things can reduce body weight.

What Causes Uninvited Weight Loss?

When bodyweight gets reduced for a long time without any external influence, it becomes severe. Some issues can result in weight loss. Here are some of them!

• Weakened muscles

The human body is made up of water, bone, and muscle. If the muscles become weak in some way or the other, the body can’t help but lose weight. The powers that can be weak are ageing, burns, injuries, damaged nerves, and stroke. Apart from these, some diseases, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and multiple sclerosis, could also lead to unintentional weight loss by making the muscles weak.

• Type 1 Diabetes

In the case of Type 1 Diabetes, the insulin-producing cells get affected. The lack of insulin prevents the body from using glucose to generate energy, increasing unused glucose in the blood. Kidneys deal with this glucose by sending them out of the body through urination. As the body loses glucose, it suffers from a shortage of calories. Therefore the result is weight loss.

• Depression

The symptoms of depression include lingering sadness, low energy, unstable mind, irritation, too little or too much sleep, and suicidal thoughts. Depression thus results in physical inactivity, though the symptoms can differ from person to person. However, scientific studies have found that the part of the brain, which gets affected by depression, is the same part that manages appetite. Henceforth, the hunger slows down, leading to unintentional weight loss from the body.

• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

In the case of Congestive Heart Failure, the heart fails to pump up blood with sufficient force. Therefore, in this disease, the heart suffers from a lack of ample amount of blood. As a result of CHF, an adequate amount of blood cannot reach the body’s digestive system. The body then induces a nauseous feeling, and in addition to that, the body also experiences fullness. Even at times, it becomes troublesome to breathe while eating. The inflammation, which is caused to the tissues of the heart by Congestive Heart Failure, boosts the rate of metabolism, which is one of the reasons for unusual weight loss.

• Hyperthyroidism

When the body is attacked by hyperthyroidism, it burns calories very fast and more than necessary. No matter how steady and sound the appetite appears. In this way, the overactivity of the thyroid gland causes unintentional weight loss.

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease refers to any kind of chronic, irritating disorder in the digestive tract. Because of IBD, the body goes through catabolism. This catabolism leads the body to use more energy, burning a huge amount of calories. Besides, IBD also disturbs the secretion of ghrelin (hunger hormone) and leptin (satiety hormone). As a result, the appetite gets disrupted, and the body loses its weight.

Conclusion

Although the body weight goes up and down in general, if the body experiences unintentional weight loss by almost 5% within six to twelve months, a doctor should be consulted without further delay. Also, if any dysfunction other than weight loss occurs, that should be rendered before the doctor. There may be some serious underlying conditions, ignoring which can lead to chronic diseases shortly.