Gastric bypass surgery, also called Roux-en-Y, is the most commonly performed weight-loss surgery in the United States. The International Diabetes Federation, which represents more than 200 diabetes groups across the globe, has called for weight loss surgery to be considered a treatment for type 2 diabetes in certain patients with body mass indexes (BMIs) as low as 30.
What is bypass surgery?
Your stomach can hold up to 2,000 cc. During gastric bypass surgery, the surgeon passes a balloon into your stomach which can hold about 20 cc. He then uses special staplers to cut and divide the stomach around this tube. This creates a small, new stomach, which is often referred to as a “pouch”, at the end of the esophagus.
Next, the surgeon goes down to the small intestine –the jejunum- and divides the intestine. He brings the distal (or farthest) part of the intestine – which is called the Roux limb – up to the pouch, and connects the two with staples and stitches. He finishes the procedure by connecting the rest of the intestine to the bottom of the Roux limb.
Gastric bypass surgery can cure diabetes type 2
According to Doctor Garth Davis, M.D., his patients lose about 70 percent of their weight after a gastric bypass surgery. This weight loss results in a significant reduction of health conditions, but the big one here is diabetes. The gastric bypass surgery is an extremely effective cure for type 2 diabetes; up to 96 percent of patients see a cure or improvement and they are sent home without their medications.
You can read more on the subject on this article posted by ABC News on August 17, 2011 (SOURCE: http://www.idf.org/)
Weight-loss procedure curing diabetes?
A surgery used to help obese people get skinny has an incredible side-effect with the potential to cure millions.
BACKGROUND: According to the Mayo Clinic, gastric bypass is the most frequently performed bariatric surgery in the United States. Many surgeons prefer gastric bypass surgery because it generally has fewer complications than other weight loss surgeries.
Gastric bypass surgery can provide long-term, consistent weight loss if the patient exercises and eats a healthy diet. The surgery combines the creation of a small stomach pouch to restrict food intake and construction of bypasses of the duodenum and other segments of the small intestine to cause malabsorption, which decreases the ability to absorb calories and nutrients from food.
BENEFITS: Extreme obesity affects nearly 24 million adults, which is nearly 6 percent of Americans. It is associated with more than 30 medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, sleep apnea, joint disease, and cancer.
According to WebMD Health News, 89 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who underwent gastric bypass surgery went into remission, and 57 percent were still in remission after five years. The cost of treating diabetes is enormous. A person diagnosed at age 50 can expect to spend $172,000, which is the equivalent of seven gastric bypass procedures.
Diabetes has disappeared in some patients almost immediately or within days of gastric bypass surgery. Blood sugar levels begin to fall soon after surgery, becoming completely normal within a year.
SURGERY AS DIABETES TREATMENT: The International Diabetes Federation, which represents more than 200 diabetes groups across the globe, called for weight loss surgery to be considered a treatment for type 2 diabetes in certain patients with body mass indexes (BMIs) as low as 30. Improvements in general health are also common after this surgery.
Obesity-related medical conditions usually improve or even go away after gastric bypass surgery; including arthritis, obstructive sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. About 95 percent of people report improved quality of life after weight loss surgery. Some studies also suggest people live longer after weight loss surgery compared to equally obese people who do not have surgery.
Final word
While every surgery has risks, the truth is that the risks involved in weight-loss surgery continue to drop drastically.
A study done by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) showed that the mortality rate associated with all types of bariatric surgery had dropped significantly – from 0.89 percent in 1998 to 0.19 percent in 2004.
If you have diabetes type 2, you have a BMI of 30 or higher, and one other medical condition such as sleep apnea or heart disease, you may want to consider this type of surgery.
