Can Weight Loss Surgery Cure Type 2 Diabetes?

A controversial question has been occupying doctors, researchers, insurers and diabetic patients for more than a decade now. But, small yet well-designed studies have answered this question and surprisingly it’s a YES!

Weight loss surgery can reverse type 2 diabetes in a much better way than physical activity and nutrition in Obese people.

Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery makes changes to the digestive system that helps obese patients to lose weight. There are different types of bariatric surgeries:

• Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
• Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve
• Laparoscopic Mini Gastric Bypass
• Intra Gastric Balloon
• Laparoscopic Gastric Band

Though this surgery was primarily used for weight loss in people with obesity, now it can also be used to treat type 2 diabetes. Such observations and studies have resulted in considering this surgery as “metabolic surgery”.

Diabetes and its traditional therapy

More than 150 million people across the world are affected by diabetes and this number is expected to increase rapidly. Over 90% of the diabetics have the Type 2 form which is associated with overweight or obesity, family history, lack of physical activity and older age.

In type 2 diabetes insulin is produced for unknown reasons and the body is not able to utilize the insulin. Diabetes can lead to:

• Heart and blood vessel diseases
• Strokes
• Kidney failure
• Amputations
• Nerve damage
• Blindness

The traditional treatment for diabetes aims to normalize blood glucose levels. The first-line treatment is usually diet, weight loss, and exercise.

When these measures do not work, antidiabetic drugs may be needed. Despite all this, if the patient has poor blood glucose control then insulin injections help.

“Just losing 7% of body weight can decrease the chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%.”

What is Prediabetes and Metabolic Syndrome?

Prediabetes is a wakeup call that you are on the path to diabetes and also a chance to prevent type 2 diabetes. It is a condition wherein, the blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes. Unlike diabetes, you can reverse prediabetes by just a simple combination of weight loss and physical activity.

“Without any lifestyle changes, 15-30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 3-5 years.”

Metabolic syndrome is a combination of several medical conditions that are associated with morbid obesity: insulin resistance/ glucose intolerance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and excess body fat. Prediabetes is often considered as a part of metabolic syndrome. This deadly combination increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and many other complications.

“Patients with metabolic syndrome are TWICE as likely to develop heart diseases and FIVE TIMES as likely to develop diabetes as compared to those without metabolic syndrome."

Weight Loss Surgery/Bariatric Surgery Can Cure Diabetes in Select Patients

Bariatric/Weight Loss surgery has been explored for years now as a cure for type 2 diabetes.

A randomized clinical trial was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Pennsylvania. The objective of the study was to compare the remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus following surgical and non-surgical treatment.

Also, to determine the role and durability of bariatric surgery for type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study concluded that the obese participants who underwent bariatric surgery along with 2 years of lifestyle intervention experienced more diabetes remission than the participants who only had lifestyle intervention.

Furthermore, according to a recent study published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]), three-quarters of obese individuals with type 2 diabetes who underwent Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery (RYGB) experienced remission of diabetes within one year of treatment.

Weight loss surgery improves blood sugar control by altering gut hormone levels as well as by speeding up weight loss. It plays an important role in the prevention of diabetes. Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass is a powerful surgery that improves diabetes through rapid weight loss.

The Earlier the Surgery, the Better the Outcome

A crucial finding of many such studies is that the shorter the diabetic history, the greater the chances of complete remission. B-cell failure caused by glucose toxicity in poorly controlled diabetics can hamper the B-cell responsiveness to glucose. Weight loss can improve this condition.

Moreover, if weight loss surgery is performed prior to irreversible B-cell failure occurrence, there will be durable weight loss accompanied by a greater likelihood of long-term diabetes remission.