Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure, which involves sectioning off a small portion of the stomach, to create a pouch to limit the amount of food for a person to take. Meanwhile, the surgeon will add a bypass to reroute food past the rest of the stomach and part of the small intestine so that calorie and nutrient absorption could be limited.
Previous studies had shown that such procedure could actually control Type-2 diabetes that is commonly associated with obesity. In the past, it has been thought that the surgery creates hormonal changes that help improvement in diabetes control.
However, the surgeons at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, showed in their latest study that while gastric bypass could cause important metabolic effects that rapidly improve Type-2 diabetes, the key is still the amount of weight patients lose in the first 6 months after surgery. The findings of the study were presented in the month of June 2008 at the annual meeting of American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in Washington, DC.
The team studied 71 morbidly obese patients with severe diabetes, which were prescribed with high doses of insulin and oral medications for controlling their blood sugar levels. The purpose of the study was to find out factors that differentiate patients who go into remission from those who do not. “The amount of weight loss by the patient” was identified as the most important factor.
All patients were found to have a better diabetes control as evidenced by better long-term blood sugar levels and lesser medication. Yet, only 48 percent of the patients went into complete remission. According to the researchers, the hormonal effects of gastric bypass surgery are still important but the weight loss in the first 3 weeks to 6 months appears to be a critical factor in diabetes remission.
Morbidly obese patients usually lose about 10 percent of their body weight within 3 weeks of surgery and they can take less medication within the first day or two. This could be an effect on gut hormones, with dramatic improvements in insulin resistance, as explained by the researchers. Nevertheless, greater amount lost at a faster pace seems to improve the chance that patients will remain in remission.
In conclusion, the researchers believed that if the weight-loss effect of surgery could be enhanced by adding medications or rigorous behavior change, it is possible to do better than a 50 percent remission rate.
Previous studies had shown that such procedure could actually control Type-2 diabetes that is commonly associated with obesity. In the past, it has been thought that the surgery creates hormonal changes that help improvement in diabetes control.
However, the surgeons at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, showed in their latest study that while gastric bypass could cause important metabolic effects that rapidly improve Type-2 diabetes, the key is still the amount of weight patients lose in the first 6 months after surgery. The findings of the study were presented in the month of June 2008 at the annual meeting of American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in Washington, DC.
The team studied 71 morbidly obese patients with severe diabetes, which were prescribed with high doses of insulin and oral medications for controlling their blood sugar levels. The purpose of the study was to find out factors that differentiate patients who go into remission from those who do not. “The amount of weight loss by the patient” was identified as the most important factor.
All patients were found to have a better diabetes control as evidenced by better long-term blood sugar levels and lesser medication. Yet, only 48 percent of the patients went into complete remission. According to the researchers, the hormonal effects of gastric bypass surgery are still important but the weight loss in the first 3 weeks to 6 months appears to be a critical factor in diabetes remission.
Morbidly obese patients usually lose about 10 percent of their body weight within 3 weeks of surgery and they can take less medication within the first day or two. This could be an effect on gut hormones, with dramatic improvements in insulin resistance, as explained by the researchers. Nevertheless, greater amount lost at a faster pace seems to improve the chance that patients will remain in remission.
In conclusion, the researchers believed that if the weight-loss effect of surgery could be enhanced by adding medications or rigorous behavior change, it is possible to do better than a 50 percent remission rate.
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