Hunger sensation in patients with compensated and uncompensated type 1 and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Objective Diabetic patients (DP) refer increased hunger sensation (HS) when hyperglycemic but not yet ketogenic. As HS shows a within-day (ultradian cyclicity) and intra-day (circadian cyclicity) repetitivity, its recursive pattern was investigated in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), in compensated and uncompensated metabolic stage. Method: HS was approached in its cyclic structure by means of spectral analysis (SA), and in its circadian rhythmicity by means of Single Cosinor analysis (SCA), applied to self-rated scores of HS given every 30 min to their HS (orexigram) by DP. Results: Exaggerated periprandial, interprandial, and/or nocturnal peaks of HS were seen in the orexigram of both the type I and type II DP. Specific alterations in HS periodogram were detected, structurally denoting a relative prevalence of the ultradian components along with the deamplification and loss of the circadian harmonics. Discussion: The increase of HS (hyperorexia) in nonketotic DM may be formally attributed to a mechanism of frequency multiplication and amplitude demodulation in the multifrequency bioperiodic structure which physiologically regulates the recursive pattern to the daily HS in human beings. © 1996 by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.