{"id":813,"date":"2026-09-16T14:10:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T13:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/?page_id=813"},"modified":"2026-09-16T14:10:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T13:10:30","slug":"t1de-type-1-diabetes-disordered-eating","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/eating-disorders\/t1de-type-1-diabetes-disordered-eating\/","title":{"rendered":"T1DE (Type 1 Diabetes &amp; Disordered Eating)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">T1DE describes the experience of having an eating disorder while living with type 1 diabetes. Although it is not currently a formal medical diagnosis, the term is increasingly recognised by healthcare professionals. It is sometimes referred to as \u201cdiabulimia\u201d in the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People with T1DE may restrict insulin to control their weight or experience other eating disorder behaviours, such as food restriction, over-exercising, or purging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Signs and symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Signs that someone may be experiencing T1DE can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Frequently missing, reducing, or manipulating insulin doses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Significant changes in weight or difficulty maintaining weight<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, or blood glucose levels<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Restricting food or avoiding certain foods<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excessive exercise<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Binge eating or purging<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frequently high or unpredictable blood glucose levels<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increased thirst and urination<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feeling tired, weak, dizzy, or unwell<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoiding diabetes appointments or becoming secretive about diabetes management<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why is insulin restriction dangerous?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Restricting insulin can cause <strong>diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)<\/strong>, a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of type 1 diabetes. DKA occurs when there is not enough insulin in the body, causing blood glucose to rise and the body to produce high levels of ketones, which make the blood acidic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Symptoms of DKA can include excessive thirst, frequent urination, nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, deep or rapid breathing, dehydration, extreme tiredness, and a fruity-smelling breath. <strong>DKA requires urgent medical treatment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Living with type 1 diabetes may also increase the risk of developing an eating disorder due to factors such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Regular monitoring of weight and blood glucose<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Focusing on food labels and carbohydrate intake<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Food and weight discussions during medical appointments<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Needing to eat to treat low blood sugar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stigma and negative attitudes surrounding diabetes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>T1DE describes the experience of having an eating disorder while living with type 1 diabetes. Although it is not currently a formal medical diagnosis, the term is increasingly recognised by healthcare professionals. It is sometimes referred to as &ldquo;diabulimia&rdquo; in the media. People with T1DE may restrict insulin to control their weight or experience other<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":309,"featured_media":0,"parent":520,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-813","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"scottsamson","author_link":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/author\/scottsamson\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":false,"rttpg_excerpt":"T1DE describes the experience of having an eating disorder while living with type 1 diabetes. Although it is not currently a formal medical diagnosis, the term is increasingly recognised by healthcare professionals. It is sometimes referred to as &ldquo;diabulimia&rdquo; in the media. People with T1DE may restrict insulin to control their weight or experience other","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/309"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":814,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/813\/revisions\/814"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/seedsdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}