The word “weight loss,” similar to “fat burning” and many other similar terms that imply weight loss (usually due to the fat component), is usually associated with something useful, healthy, correct and necessary for everyone.
And although public views have now changed a little, giving rise to movements such as “body positivity”, which often encourages people with excess body weight, the majority of the inhabitants of our planet still tend to see a lot of negativity in being overweight. The reason for this is the state of health, which directly correlates with a person’s obesity and affects not only the quality of his life, but also its duration. Therefore, when we talk about weight loss in overweight people, we are certainly talking about the positive aspects that losing weight can provide.
But does it happen when weight loss is not a reason to rejoice, but a dangerous symptom? When does a significantly dropped number on the scale become a reason to be wary and check your health? Of course yes, answers Pavel Baranov
– specialist in the field of nutrition, endocrinology and psychology, member of the Russian Association of Endocrinologists, member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, author of many popular articles in the field of sports medicine, dietetics and psychology, participant in the international festival of healthy lifestyle and sports SN PRO EXPO FORUM.
Let's look at what can happen to health, which can cause a person's weight to collapse in a short time.
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Malnutrition
According to modern research, more than 50% of our planet's population is undernourished. This means that these people are not getting the nutrients they need in the right quantities. The reasons are different, from economic to geographical. If malnutrition continues long enough, it can have a significant impact on a person's health, including severe weight loss. Of course, the best way to prevent this is to eat a balanced diet with enough proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Unfortunately, such nutrition is not available to everyone. And many of those to whom it is still available simply do not care what and when they eat.
What kidney diseases are caused by weight loss?
Well-known statements about how internal filtration organs are cleansed during a strict diet, detox program, or during long-term fasting have been proven in practice. However, this does not prevent them from remaining one-sided, hiding possible harm to the body if the process of cleansing and losing weight takes place without medical supervision.
Thousands of women jump on a new diet or drink “empty” smoothies made from vegetables and fat-burning supplements for weeks, without even thinking about the stress they are putting on their own kidneys. Simply because the consequences of such experiments do not appear immediately, but after several months or years, causing surprise: why do I have kidney problems?
Rapid or improper weight loss is one of the factors that provokes serious impairment of kidney function. For example, their drooping due to sudden weight loss. Nature has prudently created 3 protective capsules for these organs, one of which is fatty. Inside such a fortress, our “filter” works safely and uninterruptedly. When you start losing weight, enjoying the loss of 10 extra pounds per month, the layer of fat around the kidneys thins out at a breakneck speed. It is the fat capsule that is responsible for the balance of the kidneys, so a slight change in weight affects it in the most direct way.
As soon as the capsule decreases due to weight loss, the kidney drops to the “floor” below, and behind it the nerve and vascular bundles are pulled up. Next, the ureter bends (sags or even twists), disrupting the drainage of urine. By the way, against this background, a kidney infection (pyelonephritis) may develop, since stagnant fluid in the urinary canal creates an excellent bacterial environment. Nephroptosis (or prolapse) is difficult to recognize on your own, because the symptoms “lead” to the side: lower back pain.
Just as we set out to lose weight without a doctor, without him we go to the pharmacy for ointment for osteochondrosis, and treat our back until the kidney fails completely. The harm of losing weight to the kidneys has not been exhausted - a strict diet with sudden weight loss provokes other disturbances in the functioning of the “filter”. For example, kidney stones. Severe dietary restrictions triple the likelihood of stone formation, which ultimately completely disrupts kidney function.
An unbalanced diet or fasting can change the course of metabolic processes in the urine, which will contribute to the formation of stones (with such a pathology, the protective function of preventing stone formation by promptly eliminating crystals of calcium salts is erased). Have you chosen a strict diet? Don’t be too lazy to go to a nutritionist and get tested to neutralize the harm of losing weight to the body. Kidney health will be ensured by a balanced diet that includes seafood, a lot of fresh, varied vegetables and fruits.
Loss of muscle mass
Loss of muscle mass begins at about 40 years of age and progresses much faster after age 75. Preventing the development of this condition will include both consuming enough calories (including maintaining a protein norm of 0.7 g/kg and above), and maintaining physical activity at any time. age. Western countries are often a positive example in this regard, because it is not so difficult to meet men and women involved in sports there who are well over 70.
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Hyperthyroidism
Unexplained weight loss may be a sign that a person has a thyroid disease called hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis, which causes the thyroid gland to produce excess amounts of hormones. Sometimes a person may not know that he has such a disease and may not take any of the measures necessary to prevent its development. Weight loss will typically be one of a constellation of symptoms including increased heart rate, heat intolerance, hair loss and insomnia. If a person suspects that he has such a disorder, he should undergo a diagnosis of the thyroid gland by an endocrinologist.
Peptic ulcer
Unexplained weight loss can sometimes be one of the signs of an ulcer.
Stomach ulcers
- these are local defects of the mucous membrane that develop on the inner surface of the stomach, as well as in the upper part of the small intestine.
Since the main symptom of peptic ulcers is abdominal pain, they often cause a decrease in appetite. Lifestyle modifications combined with prescribed treatment are the best way to get rid of this problem. In such a situation, it is necessary to contact a gastroenterologist.
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Cancer
Severe weight loss can be one of the symptoms of cancer. There are several types of cancer, such as leukemia, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast and colon cancer, which often lead to significant weight loss.
Some cancers increase resting metabolism, meaning the body burns more calories, while others can produce inflammatory proteins that can lead to weight loss. Treatments such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy often cause a decrease in appetite and can lead to side effects including nausea, vomiting and mouth ulcers that prevent you from eating. All this also affects weight loss.
What happens to the body after a short-term fast? Scientists' opinion
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is usually associated with obesity, but weight loss can also be an unexpected symptom of this pathology. When the body does not use insulin properly, the transport of glucose for further conversion into energy may also be impaired. The internal system may begin to use fat and muscle to function, which will ultimately lead to a decrease in overall body weight. Here it will be important to contact an endocrinologist and nutritionist as soon as possible, because the development of type 2 diabetes is much easier to prevent than to deal with its consequences. Type 1 diabetes, in turn, is an autoimmune disease with which a person must live his entire life.
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How does rapid weight loss affect women's health?
Hormones that control reproductive and lactation functions play a significant role in a woman’s body. Hormonal balance preserves women's youth, ensures good skin condition, preventing the formation of premature wrinkles.
The harm of rapid weight loss affects both appearance and health:
- the skin loses elasticity and softness;
- there is a disruption in the menstrual cycle;
- the risk of infertility increases.
A week-long fast, not supported by a specialist, can subsequently provoke hormonal problems. You get a mirror: you fought against fat, but you got even more of it. In such a situation, hormones seem to grab their “paws” into the fat layer, not allowing the body to lose weight. Complete or partial refusal to eat is primarily manifested by menstrual irregularities. It becomes irregular or disappears altogether, which is directly related to the thinning of fatty tissue. The fact is that it is the first participant in the synthesis of progesterone and estrogen, the level of which decreases along with the amount of fatty tissue. As soon as it drops to a critical level, an alarm bell rings - menstruation is delayed, often for a long time. In the future, this risks leading to problems with conception.
The harm of losing weight for a woman can be avoided. If you put your own negligence aside, this will be very easy to do. The key condition is to approach food refusal rationally. Find a good nutritionist who will develop a diet for safe weight loss. When the body gets used to a certain routine (for example, 3 main meals and a couple of light snacks), it processes fats in a timely manner without storing reserves on the sides, stomach or knees. In other words, he feels harmony - he is fed on time, he is not starved, he can live in peace.
Parasites
Tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms—thousands of people contract these and other parasites every year, either from their pets or due to poor food and water hygiene. Parasites absorb nutrients in the body and multiply, filling more and more space in our body and devouring more and more of its resources. This can lead to decreased appetite and weight loss without the person even realizing it. Parasites can take weeks and months, and sometimes years, to manifest themselves, which is why early diagnosis is important. A number of tests and analyzes can help deal with this problem.
Brain and thinking activity
The first target on the road to losing weight is the quality of our brain and the ability to think clearly. To a greater extent, this applies to those who are radically inclined: to lose weight quickly and strongly, making a strict diet of 600 kcal per day, intermittent or total fasting a weapon. In such conditions, the body suddenly falls into deep stress, because at one moment it is deprived of its usual food and snacks with cookies. The lack of energy, nutrients and vitamins that we get through food slows down the thinking process, plunging the brain into a state of “hibernation”.
What else is left if you have to survive in economy mode? Meanwhile, the main source of nutrition is a trio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Each of them is important, including the hated fats, which are the builders of nerve fibers and brain cells. Difficulty concentrating is the first sign of their lack in the diet. A lack of carbohydrates shows similar symptoms, as well as headaches and fatigue. For example, with a complete refusal of carbohydrates, the body begins to produce energy from fats through their synthesis.
In the absence or deficiency of these nutrients, the brain tries not to waste energy, gradually and in small doses “looking” into the reservoirs. There are no resources to produce new fuel. The lack of proteins (the building material of all cells with dozens of important functions) seems to hint to the body against the background of general hunger that the decision to suspend the activity of the mind is the right one. We need to take care. By the way, the brain spends about 20% of all energy on mental activity, so it suffers first. If you've tried fasting without a doctor's help, you may remember unpleasant symptoms like dizziness, drowsiness, and an inability to concentrate on everyday tasks.
The wrong method of losing weight will lead to a deficiency of polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants, which are responsible for mental activity, health and youth of cells. An imbalance of nutrients is an excellent opportunity to undermine the normal functioning of the brain and other internal organs.
Surely you know about the research and even the Nobel Prize that a Japanese scientist received for discovering the positive effects of short-term fasting on the body. Yoshinori Ohsumi studied the mechanism of autophagy, that is, the natural property of cells to “clean up” or eat unnecessary components, renewing the body. This whole process is stimulated by a lack of nutrients. True, when talking about the benefits of short-term fasting, many forget about other provoking factors. Thus, autophagy can be enhanced by disturbances in the cell structure itself (damaged mitochondria, for example). In this case, cellular “breakdowns” occur for various reasons: lack of oxygen in tissues or low ability to accumulate calcium. The most harmless result is impaired cell metabolism, and the most terrible result is their death. The mechanism of action of autophagy requires further study, so mindlessly rushing into the arms of hunger is not always useful. Osumi is a scientist who has devoted more than one year of his life to the study of autophagy. Admit it, do you know more about this process than from a 10-minute video on a YouTube channel? Only the lazy don’t shout about the benefits of fasting, but any “conversation” with the body requires a common sense approach.
Have you decided to go hungry? Perfect! After all, this can really have a positive effect, improve your health and make you slim. Under one condition - you must know everything about the safety margin of your own body. Try to practice fasting under the supervision of a competent nutritionist so that the harm of losing weight will bypass you. After all, only a healthy brain will protect you from senile dementia - the “mildest” consequence.
Depression
This mental illness can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including weight loss. A depressed person often becomes so immersed in his problems and disconnected from the outside world that he practically stops eating. Although there is no single cause of depression, many cases can be effectively treated with psychotherapy and medication. As a rule, a multidisciplinary approach in the form of consultations with a psychologist/psychotherapist and psychiatrist gives positive results.
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HIV and AIDS
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, also known as AIDS, is a chronic, potentially life-threatening disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV can both make it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients and put a person into a depression-like state, leading to malnutrition and decreased appetite.
HIV/AIDS can also increase the risk of developing infections that cause weight loss, either by reducing appetite or making eating painful.
Scientists warn: active use of gadgets can cause overeating
How do the organs of the digestive system suffer when losing weight?
A particularly dangerous area for fans of a slim body, as “mines” await on both sides. There are 2 types of risk: chemical and biological. The first is the harm of diet pills (both dietary supplements and medications if you are losing weight during a cold/illness). The second is a lack of nutrients, vitamins, and an imbalance in the diet.
By driving yourself into strict dietary limits without prior examination, you endanger a string of digestive organs:
- stomach;
- pancreas;
- intestines;
- gallbladder;
- liver.
Each of them requires a daily supply of nutrients to maintain the health of the body and ensure the performance of all functions. Especially in this story, the gastrointestinal tract suffers, taking the first blow from hunger/relative hunger.
Stomach juice, which helps absorb nutrients from food, is still produced. Its daily intake is 2 liters for an adult. When a minimum of food enters the stomach or does not enter at all, this juice begins to actively corrode the walls of the organ. Gastritis or an ulcer is just around the corner.
Andrey Bobrovsky, Ph.D. scientific director of a network of weight loss clinics
“Disturbances in the functioning of the digestive tract during rapid weight loss sometimes manifest themselves as mild discomfort in the stomach, which can result in a chronic form of gastritis”
The intestines, as the stomach’s closest companion, also receive a portion of the “negativity.” Most often, he experiences a deficiency of dietary fiber, due to which peristalsis suffers. The walls of the organ contract poorly under such conditions - this leads to constipation.
The harm of sudden weight loss provokes:
- heartburn;
- bloating;
- nausea;
- inflammatory processes;
- intestinal diseases;
- formation of gallstones.
Reasonable control over the diet, its balance, testing and examination before starting a diet is your personal protection from the harm of losing weight (for women and men equally).
Alcoholism
Alcohol intoxication affects people differently; some people start eating more and more, while others, on the contrary, lose their appetite. But this is the case if we are talking about healthy people. Alcoholism can lead to a person losing a significant amount of weight due to the false feeling of fullness that he will constantly feel due to alcohol abuse. In addition, alcoholism can lead to peptic ulcers, which also causes weight loss. People with this disease also often suffer from malnutrition, because they often prefer alcohol to a balanced dinner. Of course, as in other cases, it is necessary to get rid of this problem with the help of a team of professionals who can lead you “by the hand” to the result.
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In addition to everything that we have discussed, there are also many other problems and pathologies that can manifest themselves in the form of a person losing a certain percentage of body weight. Chronic heart failure, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, dementia, Crohn's disease, Addison's disease, Sjogren's disease, achalasia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, etc. – all these pathologies, among other symptoms, can manifest themselves in the form of weight loss.
This once again reminds us of the importance of timely diagnosis, the need to be careful about your own health, and also the fact that any acquired disease is much easier and more correct to prevent than to treat when it becomes severe.
What are the dangers of exhaustion for older people?
As already mentioned, an elderly person who is malnourished begins to lose weight, strength, and energy. From an active pensioner, he turns into a “bedridden” patient who feels all the consequences of protein metabolism. Swelling, bedsores, and trophic ulcers begin to appear throughout the body. They progress quickly, which brings severe pain and simultaneous helplessness.
When the terminal stage occurs, a double weight loss is observed. Along with it, the central nervous system begins to slow down. The patient suffers from convulsions, involuntary loss of feces and urine. The activity of vital organs, such as the liver, heart, kidneys, and brain, begins to undergo irreversible changes. A powerful general failure occurs in the body, during which it is no longer possible to return to the previous normal life. Then only one thing awaits the patient - death.
