Weight Loss Surgery Beats Medicine for Diabetics
There’s more to controlling diabetes than keeping food intake in check. Keeping extra pounds off can also be incredibly important. This is especially so for type 2 diabetics who may find obesity may be the root cause of their disease. When pounds are shed, there’s a good chance symptoms will subside.
In an effort to better understand just which option is more effective at controlling type 2 diabetes, medicine or weight loss surgery, researchers recently conducted a long-term trail. As it turned out, about half the patients in the weight loss group managed to be diabetes-free at the five year mark. The breakthrough study was conducted at Kings College London.
To discover which method worked the best, researchers randomly assigned obese people with type 2 diabetes in to three groups. Twenty patients used standard medication, 20 received a gastric bypass and 20 had a biopancreatic diversion.
As it turned out, about 80 percent of those who underwent one of the surgical procedures had good long-term control over their blood sugar. Only about 25 percent of the drugs-only group could say the same. Doctors did find, however, that all study groups as their cardiovascular risks lower. Those in the surgery groups, however, had a 50 percent lower risk of heart and blood vessel disease.
While the findings are quite encouraging, researchers admit the improvements in blood sugar control didn’t quite link to the amount of weight loss. That means the reasons why weight-loss surgery is more effective remain elusive.
Obese people who are considering weight-loss surgery are urged to discuss their options carefully with a healthcare provider. Surgery isn’t a guarantee that diabetes will go into remission, but it can help bring weight in check, which is often half the battle. Patients will find the options available range from permanent surgical alteration to less invasive, reversible procedures.
In an effort to better understand just which option is more effective at controlling type 2 diabetes, medicine or weight loss surgery, researchers recently conducted a long-term trail. As it turned out, about half the patients in the weight loss group managed to be diabetes-free at the five year mark. The breakthrough study was conducted at Kings College London.
To discover which method worked the best, researchers randomly assigned obese people with type 2 diabetes in to three groups. Twenty patients used standard medication, 20 received a gastric bypass and 20 had a biopancreatic diversion.
As it turned out, about 80 percent of those who underwent one of the surgical procedures had good long-term control over their blood sugar. Only about 25 percent of the drugs-only group could say the same. Doctors did find, however, that all study groups as their cardiovascular risks lower. Those in the surgery groups, however, had a 50 percent lower risk of heart and blood vessel disease.
While the findings are quite encouraging, researchers admit the improvements in blood sugar control didn’t quite link to the amount of weight loss. That means the reasons why weight-loss surgery is more effective remain elusive.
Obese people who are considering weight-loss surgery are urged to discuss their options carefully with a healthcare provider. Surgery isn’t a guarantee that diabetes will go into remission, but it can help bring weight in check, which is often half the battle. Patients will find the options available range from permanent surgical alteration to less invasive, reversible procedures.
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