Eating Disorders Support Group

Eating disorders are marked by an obsessive need to control the intake and/or purging of food. This community is dedicated to those struggling on the road to recovery. Join to discuss your experience with others and find support. Get advice, ask questions, and meet others who are going through similar struggles.

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alxlopz1999 12/30/2017

I have been struggling with bulimia for months now and I just found out I'm pre-diabetic. Is bulimia the cause of it? I know purging is completely unhealthy and harmful it self and I'm trying so hard to break the habit, but I'm confused whether binging and purging still affects blood sugar.

searchingforbalance 12/30/2017

I am in no way a medical professional, so I can't say, but I think it would be a good idea to discuss this with your doctor!

I have experience with binge eating disorder, and just from what I have felt after binging, I know it probably affects my blood sugar...I get super thirsty, sweaty, and dizzy afterwards, so I think you are on the right track about there being a connection. But I wouldn't come to any conclusions without a doctor's input :) best of luck to you!!

red47640 01/01/2018

I am also a pre-diabetic, and I've had every ED you can think of (including bulimia). While I think pre-diabetes is still not fully understood, I have read articles that suggest there's a link between the two. I will have to locate the articles, but it sounded like the constant binge/purge cycle affects blood sugar because of the rapid intake and expulsion of nutrients. Insulin and glucagon are hormones that are produced in response to the amount of glucose in our bodies-- these two hormones carry out different functions for glucose regulation. When we binge/purge, I can only think that it disrupts our system because an incorrect amount of the appropriate hormone is released. That creates an imbalance in the entire endocrine system, which would stimulate an excessive amount of the other hormone to be released. Because hormones cause effects that are longer-lasting, this can do serious damage. We're basically confusing our endocrine systems. Sorry for the biology lesson, I was kinda thinking out loud lol. But I will find at least one of those articles and let you know.

iwant2behealthy 01/05/2018

read this: Millano, Capasso. Neuroendocrine and Metabolic Disorders in Bulimia Nervosa. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2017 Dec 11. doi: 10.2174/1871530318666171212092725.

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