Diabetes is a disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Type 2 Diabetes is associated with obesity, overweight, lack of activity, heredity and aging. Medication, diet and exercise are usually recommended to manage the condition and to prevent damage to eyes, kidney, nerves and blood vessels. Diabetes can lead to heart failure, stroke, blindness, impotency, kidney failure, amputations due to uncontrolled infections, etc.

In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces insufficient amounts of insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produce insulin, but for unknown reasons, the body is unable to use it. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It is considered to be a chronic and progressive disease, since more often than not, the condition worsens requiring a higher dosage of medication.

Diabetes can be put in remission with the right medical interventions. Bariatric surgery has shown to reduce blood sugar levels to a normal range and in some cases even reducing the dosage or eliminating the need for diabetes medication. Concurrently, diabetes related health problems are also solved.

Effect of bariatric surgery on diabetes

A healthy and significant weight loss can help reduce blood sugar levels and can control Type 2 Diabetes. Bariatric surgery does help in reduction of weight. However, it has been shown in studies that obese patients do see a marked improvement in their diabetes status shortly after gastric sleeve surgery or gastric bypass surgery, even before significant weight loss.

Although this phenomenon is not fully understood, medical science is exploring the possibility of one or more of these factors at play:

• Bypassing or removing a part of the stomach changes the way in which glucose is processed.
• The new digestive tract influences the way hunger hormones work, making the patient crave less food.
• When food is passed directly into the small intestine via the new digestive route, a substance is produced that probably increases insulin production.

These are theories that doctors are actively exploring to further understand the benefits bariatric surgery has shown in obese patients with diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes is a serious condition that leads to debilitating complications. Prevention is the best way to avoid this. However, when prevention is no longer possible in overweight or obese persons, effective methods need to be adopted to bring their lives back on track. And for some, bariatric surgery may be the effective option.