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What Causes Unexplained Weight Loss?
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What Causes Unexplained Weight Loss?
10 MIN HIGH INTENSITY WORKOUT
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What Causes Unexplained Weight Loss?
Unexplained weight loss can be a sign of various medical conditions. While some weight loss may occur due to stress or life changes, significant, unintended weight loss can point to underlying health issues. Potential causes include:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis cause malabsorption, decreased appetite, and muscle wasting.
Other Digestive Disorders: Conditions like celiac disease, IBS, and SIBO can lead to nutritional deficiencies and reduced appetite.
Mental Health: Depression and anxiety can affect appetite and contribute to weight loss, though some people may experience increased appetite.
Cancer: Weight loss can be caused by inflammation, muscle wasting, and increased energy expenditure due to abnormal cell growth.
Hyperthyroidism: An overactive thyroid increases metabolism, leading to weight loss even with a good appetite.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Chronic inflammation speeds up metabolism, resulting in weight loss.
Muscle Loss: Lack of physical activity can cause muscle atrophy, leading to weight loss.
Type 1 Diabetes: Insulin deficiency forces the body to burn fat and muscle for energy.
COPD: Lung diseases like emphysema increase calorie burn due to labored breathing.
Infections (e.g., Endocarditis, TB, HIV): Chronic infections can reduce appetite and increase metabolism.
Addison’s Disease: Impaired adrenal function leads to low cortisol levels, reducing appetite.
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF): Reduced blood flow affects digestion and metabolism, leading to weight loss.
Additional risk factors include older adults, children in poverty, and infants with feeding difficulties.
Diagnosis involves a physical exam, blood tests, imaging, and screening for conditions like infections and depression. Treatment depends on the underlying cause, and in some cases, nutritional supplements may be recommended before a definitive diagnosis is found.
Healthy Fact of the Day: Did you know that some cases of unexplained weight loss are linked to hyperthyroidism, where your thyroid works overtime and literally burns through calories faster than a car engine burns fuel? It's like your body's metabolism is in "high-speed" mode, even if you're not eating more!