Can Bariatric Surgery cure Type 2 Diabetes ?
Researchers have discovered that weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery) can cure type 2 diabetes because the surgery can help in reducing blood sugar levels.
Our digestive system breaks down the food we consume daily. Then the carbohydrates are extracted from the digested food and converted into glucose – a type of sugar that is an essential energy source for our body cells.
Later the glucose is entered into the bloodstream and transported to our body cells to produce energy. The glucose from the bloodstream enters the cells with the help of insulin. The blood sugar level in the bloodstream starts to fall once insulin does its magic and distributes glucose to the cells. As we eat daily, this cycle keeps going on. However, if anything goes wrong, the sugar in our blood becomes too high, and it results in type 2 diabetes.
Bariatric surgery and diabetes
Diabetes patients benefit from bariatric surgery beyond weight loss. It not only helps in losing weight but is also recognised as an effective treatment option for type 2 diabetes. As a result, it improves the efficiency and effectiveness of insulin production and its use by the body.
Bariatric surgery works by altering the functions of the digestive system in ways that are advantageous for patients having type 2 diabetes. It can:
- make you eat less because even a small meal makes you feel fuller
- change the hormonal functions in your gut, which can directly influence insulin production in your body
- boost the body’s production of bile acids – which make you more insulin-sensitive
- boost your body’s ability to use insulin, which in turn lowers your blood sugar level
Researchers say that blood sugar levels drop in diabetic people within a short time after surgery, even though they didn’t lose weight. The majority of patients who undergo bariatric surgery stop taking their diabetes medications or reduce the dosage shortly after surgery because it comes under control.
Case Study:
A study was conducted on 2,721 individuals by the Postgraduate Medical Journal who have type 2 diabetes and are obese. The study revealed that 86% of the patients had control over type 2 diabetes without any medication. Similar results have been found in several other studies.
It is well known that obesity contributes to diseases like type 2 diabetes. Another study was conducted by the University of Pittsburgh on a small group of 61 patients who have type 2 diabetes. They were divided into three different groups:
- 1st group – they had undergone gastric bypass surgery;
- 2nd group – they had undergone gastric band surgery;
- 3rd group – engaged in a healthy lifestyle program
For about three years, all the patients were kept under strict observation, and experts tracked down their weight loss, A1 C levels, blood sugar levels, haemoglobin level, as well as their use of diabetes medications.
1st group – this group showed significant progress in all areas after surgery as they lost 35% of weight from total body weight and 11% of body fat on average. In addition, a significant decrease in waist size was also observed in this group of people, which means they lost visceral fat as well – the harmful body fat that accumulates around internal body parts and prevents blood sugar from being processed properly.
2nd group – this group of people experienced 15% of weight loss and a 6% body fat reduction.
3rd group – this group of people who tried a non-surgical weight loss process by changing their lifestyle and diet maintenance has less progress as they lost 6% of total body weight and only a 3% body fat reduction.
Patients in all three groups experienced a reduction in blood sugar levels. The gastric bypass might have provided more progress, and the Lifestyle group seems to be the least.
After 3 years of close observation, experts evidently said that around 65% of the patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery and 33% of patients who underwent gastric band surgery stopped using medication to control their blood sugar levels. But, the lifestyle group members did not experience any remissions.
People who underwent weight surgery experienced a significant improvement in cholesterol levels. To know more detailed information, consult Dr. Venugopal Pareek, one of the best bariatric surgeons in Hyderabad. He is an expert in performing different weight loss procedures, including gastric bypass and gastric band techniques. For consulting the doctor, call +91 91-777-77715 and book your appointment.
