Metabolic surgery, also called weight-loss surgery, is a medical treatment that helps people lose weight. It’s often used when diet, exercise, and other treatments haven’t worked. Over time, it has also become a popular option for people with type 2 diabetes.
This is because it doesn’t just help with weight loss—it can also lower blood sugar levels and, in many cases, even make diabetes disappear for a while.
In fact, studies have shown that between 60 to 80 percent of people who have this surgery can go into what doctors call “remission,” meaning their diabetes becomes so well-controlled that it no longer shows up in tests. But one important question remained: can this surgery still help the heart even if diabetes comes back or doesn’t go away completely?
In 2023, researchers shared a major study at a large meeting of doctors who specialize in this kind of surgery. Their findings were hopeful. They looked at the health of people with diabetes who had the surgery and compared them to people who didn’t. The results showed that people who had the surgery were healthier overall.
Most importantly, they were less likely to suffer from serious heart problems, such as heart attacks or strokes. The surgery lowered the risk of dying from a heart attack by more than 27 percent. It also lowered the risk of dying from a stroke by nearly 27 percent. Even if someone did have one of these problems, they were more likely to survive if they had the surgery.
One of the researchers, Dr. Jonathan Jenkins, explained why this might be happening. He said the surgery helps with blood sugar control, even if diabetes is not fully cured. Better blood sugar levels can protect the heart from damage over time.
When blood sugar stays too high for too long, it can harm blood vessels and lead to heart disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in people with diabetes.
The study looked at health records from 2016 to 2019. One group had over 70,000 people with diabetes who had weight-loss surgery. The other group, much larger, had over 348,000 people with diabetes who didn’t get surgery.
These two groups were similar in age, gender, race, and how severe their diabetes was. That helped the researchers focus only on the effects of the surgery, without being distracted by other differences between the groups.
The benefits of surgery didn’t stop with heart protection. People who had the surgery also spent less time in the hospital and needed fewer medical procedures. This saved money—on average, they paid $1,000 to $4,000 less for medical care than people who didn’t have surgery.
They were also less likely to need other serious treatments like heart bypass surgery or even limb amputation, which can happen in severe cases of diabetes. And even when they did need these surgeries, they recovered better than people who hadn’t had weight-loss surgery.
Dr. Teresa LaMasters, who leads the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, said this research shows how useful the surgery can be—even for people whose diabetes doesn’t go away completely. The surgery still protects the heart and reduces the risk of serious health problems.
Despite all these benefits, not many people are getting this kind of surgery. Only about 1 out of every 100 eligible patients have it each year. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the number of surgeries dropped even more. But as more people learn how it can help, that number may go up.
Obesity is a major health concern in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that more than 42 percent of Americans are considered obese. Obesity makes the body more vulnerable to diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. It also weakens the immune system and increases the risk of serious illness from infections like COVID-19.
Metabolic surgery could be a life-changing option for people who are struggling with obesity and diabetes. It doesn’t just help with losing weight.
It can lower the chances of a heart attack or stroke, reduce hospital visits, save money, and possibly add years to a person’s life. With more awareness and research, this kind of surgery may become a more common treatment to help people live longer and healthier lives.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about diabetes and vitamin B12, and the right diet for people with type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat smart with diabetes, and turmeric and vitamin D: a duo for blood pressure control in diabetic patients.
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