Weight Loss Surgery Benefits People with Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. It occurs when the body cannot respond to insulin. As a result, the person’s blood sugar level becomes elevated. Medication and Insulin are the typical treatments that are prescribed for a type 2 diabetic. However, new research has shown that weight loss surgery may be more effective at controlling blood sugar levels than surgery.

There was a study done by Dr. Francesco Rubino and his colleagues at Catholic University that involved diabetic patients. The patients were divided into two groups. One group had weight loss surgery while the other group only took medication to control their diabetes. The results of the study were that 75 percent of the patients who had weight loss surgery did not have diabetes two years after their surgery.

There was a similar study done at Cleveland Clinic. The results of that study were that 37-42 percent of the patients who underwent weight loss surgery were able to keep their blood sugar at a healthy level. Only 12 percent of the patients were able to manage their blood sugar with medications alone.

Type 2 diabetes is strongly correlated with being overweight. That is why researchers believe that surgical weight loss may be the key to controlling this condition. While weight loss surgery may help many diabetic patients control their blood sugar, it is important to note that surgery may not work for everyone. Weight is not the only factor that contributes to type 2 diabetes. Family history and genetics also have to be taken into consideration.

There has also been evidence to suggest that diabetic patients may not lose as much weight from gastric banding as non-diabetic patients. There was a study done in 2008 that showed that over 90 percent of non-diabetic patients lost over 40 percent or more of their body weight after getting gastric banding. Only 80 percent of diabetic patients in this same study lost more than 40 percent of their body weight.

Doctors still cannot ignore the fact that weight loss surgery can help reverse type 2 diabetes. In many cases, surgical weight loss has helped save lives.