Diabetes Remission Depends on Type of Weight Loss Surgery

The best type of weight-loss surgery for diabetes control is gastric bypass, according to new research published in JAMA Surgery.

The study included 569 obese patients with type 2 diabetes who had undergone different types of weight-loss procedures and 1,881 diabetics who hadn't had surgery for blood sugar or weight control.

Not surprisingly, researchers found that people who received bariatric surgical procedures where 18 times more likely to have their diabetes go into remission than patients who didn't have operations.

Gastric bypass may be best

Remission was highest, however, in patients who had undergone gastric bypass - these patients were 43 times more likely to reverse their diabetes than non-surgery patients, while those who had gastrectomies were 17 times more likely to experience diabetes remission.

According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), bariatric procedures can help diabetic patients experience remission by reducing blood sugar to normal levels and eliminating the need for medications.

Common procedures include the gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric band, and duodenal switch.

All procedures come with various risks, the ASMBS stated.

Surgery may not be right in all circumstances, however, especially for patients who are not yet obese, said Frank de Vries, study co-author.

"There is no strong evidence to date that support recommending bariatric surgery for the management of type 2 diabetes alone, in the absence of obesity," de Vries told Reuters.

Source: Rueters Health

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