Type 2 diabetes has reached the level of a full-blown worldwide epidemic, bringing crippling complications like stroke, blindness, heart disease and amputations. In the US, the occurrences of diabetes have tripled over the past three decades, reaching a staggering number of over 20 million, with the majority of cases being type 2, which is closely related to obesity.
Even though type 2 diabetes is notoriously hard to manage, let alone cure, there are reasons to hope. For years we have been receiving reports of bariatric surgeries resulting in significant improvement and even complete reversal of diabetes in patients. Additionally, bariatric surgery has consistently shown to help improve patients’ cholesterol and high blood pressure levels.
Recent Studies
The recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine talks about the results of two clinical studies that compare the effects of bariatric surgery versus intensive medical therapy in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. These clinical trials observed a total of 210 patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus and BMI ranging from 27 and more, some of which underwent bariatric surgery.
All patients received intensive medical therapy, including:
• lifestyle changes
• weight management
• frequent glucose monitoring
• the use of drugs
As expected, weight loss effects were much greater in bariatric patients. Additionally some of the patients showed health improvements, and their need for diabetes, blood pressure and lipid medications has decreased significantly. Some patients were able to completely eliminate the use of diabetes medications. It’s interesting that the reduction in the use of diabetic medications happened before the maximal weight loss, apparently due to the reduction of specific internal hormones.
The Results
The New England Journal of Medicine concludes that bariatric surgery can be useful for management of type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as cardiovascular conditions and high cholesterol. It is possible that such improvements can reduce the mortality from these serious conditions.
One of the clinical study participants, Heather Britton, 53, had her bariatric operation in January 2009. In a matter of months she was able to completely quit her medications for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides as well as lose about 80 pounds. In her own words, “It’s been a total blessing”.
Surgical Specialists of Louisiana have been providing outstanding care to weight loss patients for years. We specialize in helping to turn people’s lives around through comprehensive weight loss solutions, including bariatric surgery. If you or someone you care about has diabetes, please consider talking to one of our professional staff members about our life changing weight loss solutions. You can contact our offices at 877-691-3001 or click here to register for a free informational seminar.
Image by wellunwell on Flickr.com
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