It may seem counter-intuitive, but losing weight without even trying may not be a good thing. "It's not typical to have a noticeable drop in weight without changing how much you're eating, being more physically active or trying to lose weight," said dietitian Christine Goukasian. "Unexplained weight loss is a red flag," she added in a news release.
Day to day, weight varies a pound or two because of hormones, water retention and other factors. Anything more may signal an underlying health problem—from cancer and gastrointestinal to mental health disorders. "Weight loss becomes a concern when it's 10 pounds or at least 5% of your original weight during a six- to 12-month period," said Goukasian, senior dietitian at the UCLA Division of Clinical Nutrition.
And older adults , especially those in community living, have a higher risk. As many as two in 10 lose weight unexpectedly—a share that jumps to six in 10 in community housing, where folks are more likely to have health issues that lead to unintended weight loss. More than a third of people who consult their doctor about dropping weight without trying have undiagnosed cancer.
It is, according to UCLA, the No. 1 cause of unintentional weight loss, and about four in 10 cancer diagnoses begin this way. And dropping weight isn't just a sign of advanced cancer .
Weight loss has been reported in patients with early-stage cancers of the colon, pancreas and lung, so it's important to see a doctor anytime weight begins to drop off.