Polyphagia or why am I
so hungry all the time

Polyphagia is a medical condition that is characterized by excessive hunger. A person suffering from this problem eats more food than the average person and wants to keep on eating more. Excessive thirst is a common symptom of the onset of diabetes but it can also be an indicator of other health problems.

In the case of diabetes that is not being controlled properly by medication, a percentage of the excess sugar that has built up in the bloodstream is excreted out of the body as urine. However this means that all of the calories that are contained in the sugar also leave the body. As a result the person then becomes very hungry and eats more in order to make up for the calories that he or she has lost.

Polyphagia and Diabetes

As previously mentioned, polyphagia and diabetes often accompany one another. The reason for this is simple to explain- in the case of type 1 diabetes the body does not produce enough insulin. On the other hand, in the case of type 2 diabetes, the body does not use the insulin as it is supposed to. Insulin is a hormone that is manufactured by the pancreas and its job is to regulate blood sugar (also known as glucose).

When there is an absence of insulin in the body this causes glucose to begin to build in the bloodstream, instead of going into the cells where it is supposed to go. If glucose does not enter the cells then it cannot be transformed into energy and the cells are essentially being starved for what they need. This condition can affect people with either type of diabetes and is called hyperglycemia. Other common symptoms that accompany excessive hunger are polydipsia and polyuria.

Regardless of how much food a person has consumed, someone who is suffering from polyphagia will still have a desire to eat more. A person with hyperglycemia may feel as though they have not eaten in days when in truth they have consumed far more than average. This excessive need to eat more and more food will not go away until blood glucose finds its way into the cells and provides them with the fuel they require.

Affects for the different Diabetes types

People with type 2 diabetes have a condition known as insulin resistance. What this means is that while the body produces as much insulin as it needs, it is not able to use the insulin it has in a proper manner to be of any use to the body. The body is therefore not able to transfer glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. Hyperglycemia will then set in and this can lead to weight gain.

People who suffer from type 2 diabetes and polyphagia can blame the overproduction of insulin for their weight gain. This condition is referred to as hyperinsulinemia. In this instance, too much food is stored in the body which then leads to the person putting on extra pounds.

If you notice prolonged periods of excessive hunger, get yourself checked out right away.

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