Did you know there’s a type of surgery that can help people fight a disease called type 2 diabetes?
It’s called bariatric surgery, and a new study shows it works better than taking medicines or changing lifestyle alone.
The Big Study
The study was done at a place called Pennington Biomedical Research Center and was published in a journal called Diabetes Care.
The researchers looked at 316 patients with type 2 diabetes to see how well this surgery worked. It’s the largest study to date about this kind of surgery for treating type 2 diabetes.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 34.2 million Americans, which is about 10.5 percent of the population, have type 2 diabetes.
Being overweight or obese is a major factor that leads to diabetes. About 90 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or have obesity. These health problems cause a big load on both the person and the society.
Bariatric Surgery as a Treatment
John Kirwan, the director of Pennington Biomedical, led the study.
He said that many major medical organizations like the American Medical Association and American Diabetes Association believe that bariatric surgery is a good treatment for type 2 diabetes.
However, many health insurance companies do not cover this surgery. They argue that we need a larger study to show how long the benefits of the surgery last compared to taking medicines and changing lifestyles.
The Findings of the Study
Dr. Kirwan pointed out that even with good education about diet, exercise, self-checking, and using the latest diabetes medicines, only 2.6 percent of patients got rid of their diabetes during the study.
But, when they looked at patients who had the surgery, even three years later, 37.5 percent were free from diabetes.
Concerns About the Surgery
The study also noted that less than one percent of people who can have this surgery actually get it. This might be because patients and their doctors worry about the safety and long-term results of the surgery.
The Superiority of Bariatric Surgery
The study found that the surgery was better than medicines and lifestyle changes in lowering blood sugar levels, fasting glucose levels, body weight, and other factors that can lead to heart diseases. Also, patients needed fewer medicines after the surgery.
The Hope for the Future
Dr. Kirwan hopes that doctors will feel more confident about suggesting this surgery to their patients. He also hopes that insurance companies will see the benefits and cost-savings of covering this surgery.
In conclusion, bariatric surgery can be a powerful way to fight type 2 diabetes. With this type of surgery, patients have a better chance of living a life free from diabetes.
If you care about weight management, please read studies about diets that could boost your gut health and weight loss, and 10 small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain.
For more information about obesity, please see recent studies about low-carb keto diet could manage obesity effectively and results showing popular weight loss diet linked to heart disease and cancer.
The study was published in Diabetes Care.
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