Is Weight Loss Surgery a Cure for Diabetes?

According to statistics released by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the United States is currently experiencing an epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Obesity is one of the major risk factors for developing diabetes and roughly ninety percent of the people that have Type 2 diabetes are either obese or overweight.


Diabetes is a growing epidemic in the United States. The numbers of patients that are being diagnosed with the illness are climbing alongside the number of individuals that are overweight or obese. Obesity is one of the top risk factors for developing diabetes.


This statistics change dramatically when these individuals undergo weight-loss surgery. In many cases, patients that are now returning to a normal weight thanks to the surgery have found that their blood sugar levels are now normal and they no longer need to take medications in order to control their blood sugar levels. However, there is no evidence yet that the effects of reducing the patient’s weight with weight loss surgery actually can get rid of the diabetes forever.


Today, weight loss surgery is considered a safe and effective option for obese and overweight patients. However, when it comes to the type of surgery that has the greatest direct impact on diabetes, it is the gastric bypass surgery. This surgery causes a change in the flow of nutrients through the digestive tract and in turn is able to change the hormones that are found in the gut. The result is a stimulation of the pancreas, which is responsible for controlling the feeling of hunger and satiety.


The patients that have gastric bypass surgeries often tend to see improvements in their diabetes faster than patients that have had other types of weight loss surgeries. Despite these findings, researchers and doctors still recommend that patients incorporate lifestyle changes as a part of the post-surgery regime and as a method of better controlling their diabetes

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