Bariatric Surgery Effective for Treatment of Diabetes

As statistics show that more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, often resulting in such weight-related conditions as heart disease, stroke and other health issues, a recent study shows that bariatric surgery could be an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic discovered that surgery could also help patients reduce the need for high blood pressure  and cholesterol medications, as well--all factors that can contribute to the health issue. 

The study, known by the acronym STAMPEDE, which involved 150 obese patients who had poorly controlled type 2 diabetes for at least eight years, compared one-third who were treated with diabetes medication and lifestyle changes alone; one-third who also got gastric bypass surgery; and one-third who received a different type of bariatric surgery known as a sleeve gastrectomy.

All of the patients involved in the study were overweight or obese with diabetes that was not easily controlled by medication alone.

Findings showed that three years later, patients who had surgery had close to normal levels of blood sugar while still taking medication than those just on medicine alone.

"At three years, the therapeutic gap - the difference between blood sugar in the surgical group and the medical group - got even larger in favor of surgery" said Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute surgeon and director, Philip Schauer, via USA Today.

Dr. Sangeeta Kashyap, one of the study's lead investigators, adds that at the three year mark, five to 10 percent of the surgery patients were still using insulin compared with 55 percent in the medical therapy group.

"Initially we thought diabetes was a disease you could not reverse or end. We do realize now that there may be a treatment that could end diabetes for some people and that's exciting," he said, via Reuters.

However, researchers note that at this time, they are still uncertain as to why weight loss surgeries alone are so effective against diabetes.   

Both surgeries are performed through relatively small entries into the body. However, sleeve gastrectomy is the more modest of the two, in which doctors shrink the stomach by 70 percent. Both usually range in price from around $25,000 to $30,000 according to HealthDay.com.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the New England Journal of Medicine.