Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and as your BMI increases, so does the incidence of diabetes.  60% to 70% of people with Type 2 diabetes are obese.  Type 2 diabetes is usually treated initially with diet and this is then followed by medical treatment in the form of tablets.  If this is not sufficient to produce good control of blood sugars, the next step would be the introduction of insulin injections.

More and more studies are now showing that Type 2 diabetic patients can obtain potentially life-transforming benefits from weight loss surgery.  Recent studies have shown that up to 77% of patients can have their diabetes completely resolved following weight loss surgery.  If you look for improvement in diabetic control or reduction in the amount of medication needed, then this success rate increases to 86%.  These improvements in diabetic control translate to a 92% reduction in deaths from diabetes-related causes.

There are different types of weight-loss surgery.  They have all been shown to produce significant benefits to diabetics.  However, laparoscopic gastric bypass has particular benefits for diabetic patients as this operation produces improvement in diabetic sugar control before patients have significant weight loss.  This is due to the diversion of the food stream from the first part of the small bowel, the duodenum and jejunum.  The reason why this diversion improves diabetic control is currently unclear.  Studies have shown that gastric bypass surgery resolves diabetes in 84% of patients, whereas the laparoscopic gastric band resolves diabetes in 73% of cases and best medical treatment in 13% of cases.  Furthermore, other studies have shown that the results of weight loss surgery in diabetic patients are better if the patients have their surgery within a few years of their diagnosis of diabetes.

If you are interested in the possibility of having your Type 2 diabetes improved or possibly completely resolved by weight loss surgery, please contact my rooms or click here to request a free consultation.