Lap-band weight loss surgery can cure Type 2 Diabetes. It has become a medical fact that for an overweight person it is the best reason in the world to get Lap-band surgery. If you are only a few pounds overweight, your chances of getting diabetes are greatly increased. Why live with or risk getting diabetes when it can be avoided or reversed by the same surgery that will make you the thin, healthy person you dream of becoming? Below are even more article excerpts about how Lap-band surgery can conquer obesity and diabetes.
Study: Obesity surgery can cure diabetes
USA Today (excerpt):
CHICAGO (AP) — A new study gives the strongest evidence yet that obesity surgery can cure diabetes. Patients who had surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs were five times more likely to see their diabetes disappear over the next two years than were patients who had standard diabetes care, according to Australian researchers. Most of the surgery patients were able to stop taking diabetes drugs and achieve normal blood tests.
"It's the best therapy for diabetes that we have today, and it's very low risk," said the study's lead author, Dr. John Dixon of Monash University Medical School in Melbourne, Australia.
The patients had stomach band surgery, a procedure more common in Australia than in the United States, where gastric bypass surgery, or stomach stapling, predominates.
Gastric bypass is even more effective against diabetes, achieving remission in a matter of days or a month, said Dr. David Cummings, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal but was not involved in the study.
We have traditionally considered diabetes to be a chronic, progressive disease," said Cummings of the University of Washington in Seattle. "But these operations really do represent a realistic hope for curing most patients."
Diabetes experts who read the study said surgery should be considered for some obese patients, but more research is needed to see how long results last and which patients benefit most. Surgery risks should be weighed against diabetes drug side effects and the long-term risks of diabetes itself, they said...
"This opens an entirely new way of thinking about diabetes."
Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, and researchers are furiously pursuing reasons for the link as rates for both climb. What's known is that excess fat can cause the body's normal response to insulin to go haywire. Researchers are investigating insulin-regulating hormones released by fat and the role of fatty acids in the blood.
In the Australian study, all the patients were obese and had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during the past two years. Their average age was 47. Half the patients underwent a type of surgery called laparoscopic gastric banding, where an adjustable silicone cuff is installed around the upper stomach, limiting how much a person can eat.
Both groups lost weight over two years; the surgery patients lost 46 pounds on average, while the standard-care patients lost an average of 3 pounds.
Blood tests showed diabetes remission in 22 of the 29 surgery patients after two years. In the standard-care group, only four of the 26 patients achieved that goal. The patients who lost the most weight were the most likely to eliminate their diabetes...
"There is a growing body of evidence that bariatric surgery is an effective tool for managing diabetes," said Dr. John Buse of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, the association's president for medicine and science.
Study: Obesity surgery can cure diabetes - USA Today. 01-22-08
Childhood Obesity Causes Diabetes and Other Health Problems
HealthLink - Medical College of Wisconsin (excerpt):
Much more than an aesthetic issue, childhood obesity is a major health problem. A growing wave of obesity among children is helping fuel a parallel epidemic in the rate of diabetes.
In the last two decades, the incidence of obesity among adults and children has risen nearly 50 percent. As defined by federal standards, approximately 30 percent of adults and 25 percent of children are considered obese today.
"We know that obesity in children has a carry-over effect to adulthood," says Ramin Alemzadeh, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is medical director of the diabetes program at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, an affiliate of MCW. "The concern we have with obesity is that there's a parallel increase in diabetes, particularly type-2 or so-called non-insulin-dependent diabetes."
Obesity can complicate the treatment and management of diabetes and can even lead to the body developing a resistance to insulin.
Weight Loss Matters
American Diabetes Association (excerpt):
Did you know that nearly 9 out of 10 people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes are overweight? If you are overweight, losing some weight could help you better manage your diabetes.
Diabetes and Metabolic Health
People with diabetes are more likely to be overweight and to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. At least one out of every five overweight people has several metabolic problems at once, which can lead to serious complications like heart disease.
Your Weight and Diabetes
The Obesity Society (excerpt):
How does my weight relate to type 2 diabetes?
Carrying extra body weight and body fat go hand and hand with the development of type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight are at much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than normal weight individuals. Being overweight puts added pressure on the body's ability to properly control blood sugar using insulin and therefore makes it much more likely for you to develop diabetes. Almost 90% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. The number of diabetes cases among American adults jumped by a third during the 1990s, and more increases are expected. This rapid increase in diabetes is due to the growing prevalence of obesity and extra weight in the United States population.
What can you do to prevent diabetes?
The good news is type 2 diabetes is largely preventable. Research studies have found that lifestyle changes and small amounts of weight loss in the range of 5-10% can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes among high-risk adults. Lifestyle interventions including diet and moderate-intensity physical activity (such as walking for 150 minutes per week) were used in these research studies to produce small amounts of weight loss. The development of diabetes was reduced 40% to 60% during these studies that lasted 3 to 6 years. Preventing weight gain, increasing activity levels and working toward small amounts of weight loss if you are overweight can have a big impact on the likelihood that you will develop diabetes in the future. Managing your weight is the best thing you can do to prevent the development of diabetes.
What can you do if you already have diabetes?
You can have a positive influence on your blood sugar and your overall health by choosing foods wisely, exercising regularly, reducing your stress level, and making modest lifestyle changes. Small amounts of weight loss (losing 10 pounds or more) can also have a big effect on how easily you can keep your blood sugar in the healthy range and can help prevent the complication of diabetes. Small amounts of weight reduction can decrease the amount of medication you need to keep your blood sugar in the healthy range. Overall better nutrition, physical activity, and control of blood glucose levels can delay the progression of diabetes and prevent complications.
Why Obesity is a Health Problem
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (excerpt):
Extra pounds can add up to health problems, often for life. In adults, overweight and obesity are linked to increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions. Research has shown that overweight children are at high risk of being overweight or obese as adults.
Formerly called adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes is increasingly being seen in children and adolescents, particularly among minority communities. In a recent national study, 58 percent of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were overweight.
