Weight loss surgery helps keep type 2 diabetes in remission for up to five years after the operation, researchers have said.
Bariatric surgery is considered as one of the most effective, albeit, drastic, approaches to help morbidly obese people lose weight, as about 30 per cent of the weight is reduced.
By analysing the results from a series of trials that have looked at how effective weight loss is, a team of researchers hoped to find out the long-term effects of the operation on metabolic conditions.
The researchers looked at a population of Chinese patients who were obese or had type 2 diabetes before they underwent the surgery. It was found that 66.7 per cent of people with type 2 diabetes managed to keep their type 2 diabetes at bay for up to five years.
In addition, they also found the surgery was highly effective at keeping blood pressure low among 38.2 per cent of people with hypertension.
Around 60.4 per cent of people with dyslipidemia, a condition which involves fat metabolism making changes in the concentrations of lipids in the blood, achieved remission for five years.
Studies that looked at patients up to 15 years after their surgery found that type 2 diabetes remission rates dropped gradually but still exceeded 30 per cent at the 15-year mark.
The researchers concluded: “The effectiveness of restrictive and bypass surgeries was similar at the end of follow‐up, though restrictive surgeries were slightly more effective in type 2 diabetes remission.”
The findings have been published in the Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews journal.
Although the results of weight loss surgery are significant, being involved in any form of operation can be risky and problematic. Particularly for those who are overweight as they are at higher risk of postoperative complications, such as heart attack, wound infection, nerve injury, and urinary tract infections.
The Low Carb Program has also been shown to be a highly effective approach to help people to lose weight, reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and achieve remission from the condition.
