How Weight Loss Surgery Can Cure Type 2 Diabetes
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Type 2 Diabetes affects almost 26 million people—more than eight percent of the population. The condition can lead to eye, kidney, and nerve damage, and puts patients at greater risk of heart attacks and stroke.
Am I a candidate?
Bariatric surgery is not for the casual dieter and there are several requirements that you will need to meet in order to be considered. Let us guide you through this process in a simple fashion. First, we need to know your height and weight. This will allow us to Calculate your Body Mass Index. BMI is an indicator used globally to indicate a healthy weight. Learn more about Body Mass Index
GLUT-1 To The Rescue
After procedures such as the Duodenal Switch and Gastric Bypass, common weight loss surgeries for the severely obese, it is widely agreed upon that the small intestine spontaneously begins to produce a molecule called GLUT-1. This molecule helps the body use and process glucose.
GLUT-1, is not normally in the small intestine of adults, but is present en utero. The intestine has to work harder to do its job like to absorb the nutrients or move the food further down, so the body again produces the molecule to help out. It is also believed that with the stomach being mostly bypassed, the mechanical stress of 'dumping' the food directly to the intestine contributes to the the molecules presence.
Although weight loss and improved Type 2 diabetes symptoms go hand in hand, previous research has shown that weight loss surgery can help resolve the disease even before weight loss occurs.
84% Full Reversal of Type 2 Diabetes
A recent study showed that 84 percent who underwent bypass versions of weight loss surgery, experienced complete reversal of their type 2 diabetes. Rapid improvement in blood sugars and reduction or elimination of diabetic medications is often seen within the immediate period following bariatric surgery, even before significant weight loss.
Patients having a milder form of diabetes (controlled with diet) for less than five years, and who achieve greater weight loss after surgery, are more likely to achieve complete resolution of Type 2 Diabetes.
