Obesity device can also help control diabetes, says study

A device called the EndoBarrier, which has been designed as an alternative to weight-loss surgery, could also be able to help manage type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.
The device, a 2ft-long thin plastic implanted sleeve has the same effects as the surgery but without the need for incisions. It lines the duodenum, part of the small intestine that is attached to the stomach, so that food is only absorbed lower down the intestine. It is inserted through the mouth and passes into the digestive tract, with a special anchor stopping it from slipping out.
Such a process, as a replacement for the type of weight-loss surgery called a duodenal switch – where an incision is made at each end of the duodenum, and the lower part of the intestine is attached to the stomach so that a new pathway is formed – can apparently reverse the condition within only a few weeks.
The EndoBarrier bypasses the duodenum, so that the balance of hormones changes, which leads to the symptoms of diabetes becoming reversed. The study revealed that for obese patients who had also developed diabetes, their disease went into remissio, and the device also seemed to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure.