The lining of your small intestine has fine, hairlike projections (villi) that help your body absorb nutrients. Whipple disease damages the villi, impairing nutrient absorption. Nutritional deficiencies are common in people with Whipple disease and can lead to fatigue, weakness, weight loss and joint pain.
small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) commonly results when a circumstance — such as surgery or disease — slows the passage of food and waste products in the digestive tract, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. The excess bacteria often cause diarrhea and may cause weight loss and malnutrition.
But, occasionally, the first symptom that is noticed with infections such as tuberculosis or HIV is weight loss. Hookworm infection of the gut is another example where weight loss may be the first indication of disease.
In addition to these symptoms, some digestive disorders can also cause weight loss. The most common digestive problems that cause weight loss are Crohn's disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, peptic ulcers, and celiac disease.
mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) problems with digestion, such as coeliac disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) other health conditions, such as an overactive thyroid, type 2 diabetes or heart failure.
When you're stressed, your body releases cortisol, leading to increased fat in your belly around your organs. Your lifestyle also influences how difficult it is to lose belly fat. If you enjoy sweets and alcohol, it will be much harder for you to lose tricky abdominal fat.
The thyroid gland's role in weight control. By controlling metabolism, the thyroid gland helps maintain body weight. When the thyroid gland is working too hard, a condition known as hyperthyroidism, the body burns many calories, leading to significant and sometimes unexplained weight loss.
Gut bacteria and weight loss
People who had more bacteria that belonged to a group called Prevotella compared with those that belonged to the Bacteroides group lost weight and body fat more easily than people who had equal amounts of these bacteria.
What tests to run for unintentional weight loss? Common tests include blood tests (CBC, thyroid function, blood sugar), urine tests, imaging tests (like X-rays or CT scans), and sometimes endoscopy or colonoscopy, depending on symptoms and medical history.
Foul-smelling stools: With SIBO, the bile acids used to absorb and break down fat may be deficient, causing malabsorption and resulting in greasy, oily, smelly, or floating stools.
One reason for belly fat is a sedentary lifestyle. Even skinny people can spend too much time in front of the television or computer screen, and this can encourage what little extra fat they have to settle into the stomach. A diet high in processed foods can also cause belly fat, even in skinny people.
You can easily pinch the excess fat because it builds up under your skin. When hormonal imbalances cause abdominal weight gain, the fat accumulates around your internal organs (visceral fat). Your belly enlarges and takes on an apple shape. You may look extremely bloated instead of like you're carrying extra weight.
But many health care providers agree that a medical evaluation is called for if you lose more than 5% of your weight in 6 to 12 months, especially if you're an older adult. For example, a 5% weight loss in someone who is 160 pounds (72 kilograms) is 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms).
Some types of cancer can also make it harder for your body to absorb nutrients (called malabsorption). Weight loss may be more common in lung cancer and upper gastrointestinal cancers such as pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancer.
This baseline blood test for weight loss measures the levels of several markers associated with metabolism, including a cholesterol and lipid panel, comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test, and a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test.
Symptoms of shigellosis include diarrhea (often bloody), abdominal pain, stomach cramps, and fever. Sometimes people infected with Shigella have no symptoms at all, but can still pass the bacteria to others. Symptoms usually begin 1 to 3 days after being exposed to Shigella.
Bacterial gastroenteritis is a digestive problem caused by bacteria. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, belly cramping, and pain. In severe cases, you may become dehydrated and have an electrolyte imbalance.