Is Bariatric Surgery effective in curing Type 2 Diabetes?
According to a research, 80 % of people don’t show any signs of Diabetes after Bariatric Surgery. Bariatric Surgery which was earlier used to treat Obesity, is now being used for the treatment of Type-2 Diabetes not only in obese and overweight patients, but also in normal weight people.
A study on some patients who underwent Bariatric Surgery, showed that 84 % of them experienced complete reversal of Type-2 Diabetes. Right after the surgery, there is a rapid improvement in the blood sugar level and reduction of diabetic medications.
Patients often come up this question at Mohak Bariatrics and Robotics. There are so many myths and doubts prevalent among patients that even a proven way of curing any disease may fail with disbelief. So what I prefer to do is “treat their mind before treating their body”. And this is possible only by sharing the detailed and correct information with them. So here is what I explain to them in simple and exhaustive manner.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes is a condition of body in which it fails to use insulin properly. This is also called insulin resistance. As type 2 diabetes gets worse, the pancreas may make less and less insulin and result in insulin deficiency.
The twin epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes are on the rise. In a very short span of time, the prevalence of BMI 30 is doubled, whereas that of BMI >40 is quadrupled, and even extreme obesity of BMI 50 is increased fivefold.
What are the causes of Type 2 Diabetes?
- Cell dysfunction in the pancreas
- Improper cell signaling and regulation
- Excessive production of glucose by Liver
- Genetic pre-disposition to developing type 2 diabetes
- Obesity
Usually there is a combination of causes seen in the patients of Type 2 diabetes. But there is one common factor found in every 6 out of 10 patients and i.e. BMI over 30 and thus, research has concluded that being overweight places extra stress on your body in a variety of ways, including your body’s ability to maintain proper blood glucose levels. In fact, being overweight can cause your body to become resistant to insulin. Thus, obesity is considered as the major cause of Type 2 diabetes.
The twin epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes are on the rise. In a very short span of time, the prevalence of BMI 30 is doubled, whereas that of BMI >40 is quadrupled, and even extreme obesity of BMI 50 is increased fivefold.
How Bariatric Surgery helps in treating Type 2 Diabetes?
It is now medically proven that bariatric surgery may reduce mortality in patients with diabetes. In the analysis, deaths attributed to diabetes were reduced by 92%. A systematic review, complete resolution of type 2 diabetes (defined as discontinuation of all diabetes- related medications and blood glucose levels within the normal range) in 78.1% of cases. This percentage increased to 86.6% when counting patients reporting improvement of glycemic control.
Studies have long shown that most obese diabetics who undergo bariatric surgery see their blood sugar control dramatically improve. Some even reach normal levels despite quitting their regular medicine. We have performed 6000+ bariatric surgeries at Mohak Bariatrics & Robotics Hospital out of which 4500 were Type 2 Diabetic Patients. And almost 80% of patients got cured of diabetes.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensive.