New bariatric surgery method helps control blood sugar

Canadian scientists have revealed a new method of bariatric surgery that was able to reduce blood sugar levels in rats with type 1 diabetes.
For the first time it was found that a surgical intervention could induce quick rapid glucose lowering in non-obese rats with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes, regardless of any lowering in food intake and body weight, or even changes in insulin levels.
The study, carried out at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and reported in the journal Nature Medicine, examined new nutrient-sensing signals in the jejunum, which is in the middle of the intestine, showing that duodenal–jejunal bypass (DJB) surgery could activate new nutrient-sensing signals in the jejunum and rapidly reduce blood sugar levels in non-obese rats with uncontrolled diabetes .
DJB surgery works by excluding the duodenum and proximal jejunum by redirecting food into the distal jejunum, the middle to last section of the intestine, which is able to sense glucose and let the brain know to inform the liver that it needs to reduce glucose production . This meant the rats’ blood sugar was better controlled.
Co-leader of the study, Tony Lam, said “We report that shortly after a meal, the influx of nutrients into the jejunum of DJB surgical diabetic rats activates novel sensing mechanisms to lower blood sugar levels. Importantly, this occurs in the presence of insulin-deficiency and is independent of weight loss .”