What Kinds of Diseases Are More Common with Being Underweight?

When is being skinny a sign of being sick? Unintentional weight loss (losing weight without dieting) is a common sign of several conditions.

• The first symptom of severe, uncontrolled diabetes often is unexpected weight loss. The insulin resistance that leads up to diabetes is associated with weight gain, but when the insulin making cells in the pancreas are finally depleted by the disease, which may precede any obvious symptoms, then the body starts burning fat instead of sugar and getting rid of sugar by urination. People who have been pleasingly plump for many years can lose 10, 20, or even 30 percent of their body weight while eating ravenously, and only realize that they have diabetes when they become dehydrated and wind up in an emergency room.

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• The processes that lead to lung cancer seem to cause long-term weight loss even after people stop smoking. Smokers tend to be thinner than non-smokers even when they do not develop cancer. However, people who ever smoked who are destined to develop lung cancer tend to stay thin even after they quit and even if they seem to be eating too many calories for their activity levels.
• Both thin and normal-weight people are less likely to survive heart disease after stent procedures than the obese. Data analysis of twelve studies combined found that thin and normal weight people were up to twice as likely to die in the 30 days after a stent procedure, and up to 50 percent more likely to die in the first year after having stents placed in coronary arteries.

So does this mean that gaining weight could actually be a good idea? If you are thin because you simply don't have access to food, yes, you probably need to eat more. If you are losing weight without trying, especially if you are losing lots of weight without trying, you probably need to see a doctor to get testing for diabetes and your need to have appropriate cancer screening. However, for most people, the real question is whether you need to fight to lose weight just because you are a certain BMI. Always follow your doctor's guidance, but in general:

• If you are over 60, losing weight by dieting probably won't decrease your risk of deadly diseases. Losing weight may take stress off your joints and help you maintain your mobility, however. It's also helpful for most obese people over the age of 60 to get treatment for sleep apnea.
• If you are under 60, losing weight without dieting is usually a sign of disease. In particular, undiagnosed diabetes can be the reason for sudden weight loss without diet or exercise. 
• No matter what your age, eat for health. First make sure you are eating healthy meals with a minimum of saturated fat, preservatives, coloring agents, and sugar. Then eat to live, don't live to eat. Make a habit of deferred satisfaction with regard to eating. Get regular exercise. Let weight take care of itself unless your doctor tells you must lose weight.