New research on bariatric surgery shows effective remission of diabetes

A new study into the effectiveness of bariatric surgery for people suffering from diabetes has found that nearly three quarters of type 2 diabetes patients that are also obese who underwent the weight-loss surgery exhibited no clinical signs of the condition a couple of years later.
The findings of the study, which was published in the Annals of Surgery, was based on research into 34 obese patients with type 2 diabetes who had bariatric surgery. It was shown that there was significant weight loss in 30.6 per cent of patients, and that 72 per cent were in remission for their diabetes.
A further area of the research, carried out by ESCO (Experts in Severe and Complex Obesity), the independent multi-disciplinary group of experts in obesity management, revealed that all the gastric bypass patients showed greater insulin production and better insulin resistance within just a week of the surgery.
Team member, Carel Le Roux, said “Our research has demonstrated for the first time how bariatric surgery offers a ‘double whammy’ in terms of the effect on type 2 diabetes. By increasing the amount of insulin produced and improving the body’s sensitivity to the blood sugar-regulating hormone, obese diabetic patients can be effectively cured of the condition.”
The research suggested that the remission of type 2 diabetes after bariatric surgery cannot be attributed to just weight loss, as improvements were seen before any reduction in weight.
The bariatric surgeon who performed all the operations in the study, Richard Welbourne, said “For the first time we are seeing significant results with patients going in to remission from their diabetes in the UK.”