If you are one of the 38 million people in the US who live with type 2 diabetes, you are well aware of the struggles you face daily. There can be multiple medications to take, a consistent check of your blood sugar, and following a balanced diet. Let’s explore how weight loss surgery can impact the management of type 2 diabetes.
What Exactly Does Weight Loss Surgery Do?
Weight loss surgery is more than just a way to lose weight. It has become a treatment for type 2 diabetes, and studies have shown can cause diabetes to go into remission for many years.
Weight loss surgery, or bariatric surgery, changes the way your digestive system functions. It reduces the size of your stomach, making you feel fuller sooner when you eat. As a result, you consume less calories and ultimately lose weight.
Weight loss surgery helps your body to produce and use insulin more efficiently.
Some other benefits include:
- It helps blood sugar levels drop below the diabetes range shortly after surgery.
- Many people can discontinue diabetes medications after surgery.
- It beneficially changes how the hormones in your gut work, affecting how your body makes insulin.
- It increases the amount of bile acids which in turn makes your body more sensitive to insulin.
- It improves the way your body uses insulin creating lower blood sugar levels.
Proof in the Research Studies
Recent studies conclude those who had weight loss surgery and have type 2 diabetes have better blood sugar control compared to those who did not have surgery.
National Institutes of Health Study
An NIH study concluded participants had higher rates of diabetes remission up to 12 years after weight loss surgery. According to the study, people who are obese with type 2 diabetes make long-term improvements in their health after weight loss surgery, specifically long-term blood sugar control and type 2 diabetes remission.
American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Study
A recent study released at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s 2024 Annual Meeting, concluded those with prediabetes and severe obesity who had bariatric surgery were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not have the surgery. (In an A1C test, those between the range of 5.7% and 6.4% are considered to be prediabetic.)
A second study showed that type 2 diabetes could remain in remission for 15 years, and those who had the surgery kept the weight off for at least 20 years. One of the key factors was the type of bariatric surgery the patient had. Gastric bypass surgery reduces the size of the stomach and reroutes the small intestine, limiting food and calorie intake.
The board-certified weight loss surgeons at Dignity Health Medical Group can discuss your personal medical history to find out which type of weight loss surgery might be right for you.
Long-Term Study
One other long-term study tracked 400 people with type 2 diabetes. Six years after weight loss surgery, 62% showed no signs of diabetes. They also had lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. However, only 6% to 8% of those in the study who took medication only, without surgery, showed similar results.
One caveat: if you are insulin-dependent, you most likely will not experience complete remission of diabetes.
These results demonstrate that if you have type 2 diabetes and you are overweight or obese, you can make long-term improvements in your health and change your life with weight loss surgery. So why wait?
Schedule a Weight Loss Surgery Consultation
If you deal with type 2 diabetes and are interested in learning about the weight loss surgery options available in the Phoenix area, contact Dignity Health Medical Group for an evaluation. Call our Gilbert office at (480) 728-6590, call our Chandler office at (602) 582-5233, or request an appointment through our secure online form.
Sources: Prediabetes Is on the Rise—But It Can Be Reversed > News > Yale Medicine
Weight loss surgery for type 2 diabetes | Diabetes UK
Bariatric Surgery (Weight Loss Surgery) and Type 2 Diabetes (webmd.com)
