Bariatric surgery is a procedure designed to help patients lose weight, but an unexpected side effect is that it can also help rid patients of diabetes.
"Diabetic patients who undergo bariatric surgery are often cured of diabetes following the procedure," said Christopher Still, D.O., director of the Geisinger Center for Nutrition and Weight Management. "This is an incredible development for patients, as diabetes is often a very challenging condition to manage."
A 2004 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that diabetes was completely resolved for over 76 percent of the 22,000 surveyed patients, and 86 percent of patients saw improvement in their diabetes. In an Annals of Surgery study, 83 percent of diabetic patients were cured after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, the primary bariatric procedure used at Geisinger Medical Center.
The procedure is most effective against type 2 diabetes. It hasn't proven to be a cure against type 1 diabetes, but it can improve a patient's condition, Dr. Still said. By resolving diabetes via surgery, patients are able to avoid medications and insulin injections.
"Many non-surgical treatments for diabetes can be ineffective, expensive and can be difficult for patients to maintain," Dr. Still said. "Bariatric surgery can completely resolve diabetes in one procedure, and sometimes it may be cheaper for a patient to undergo surgery instead of having to purchase medications continually over a number of years."
In order to ensure that patients stay diabetes-free following surgery, Dr. Still stressed that patients must dedicate themselves to maintaining their new body weight.