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A member asked:
Patient with chronic illness is losing weight. what is happening at the cellular level to cause the loss? remedies?
A doctor has provided 1 answer
Complex question.: I can't be specific what in this case w/out details but the basic issue is that calories taken in & absorbed are not matching or exceeding the body's needs. This is known as "catabolism". Sometimes this is due to lack of apetite, lack of GI absorption or hypermetabolic states. When calorie intake is inadequate, the body burns fat stores and breaks down muscle to make fuel (ketones+gluconeogenesis)
Answered 9/28/2016
3.7k views
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