Metabolic and bariatric surgery drastically reduces diabetes risk in people living with obesity

New study finds patients living with pre-diabetes and severe obesity who underwent metabolic and bariatric surgery were 20 times less likely to develop type 2 diabetes over 15 years compared to those who did not undergo surgery.

The study, which was presented at the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), found that only 1.8 per cent of patients developed diabetes within five years after metabolic surgery.

This rate increased to 3.3 per cent after ten years and 6.7 per cent after 15 years. In contrast, 31.1 per cent of patients who did not have surgery progressed to diabetes within five years, with this figure rising to 51.5 per cent after ten years and 68.7 per cent after 15 years.

The protective effect was notably higher among gastric bypass patients. Patients also experienced significant weight loss, averaging a 29.4 per cent reduction in body weight at 12 months and 27.6 per cent at 36 months. Greater weight loss at three years correlated with a lower risk of diabetes progression.

Dr David Parker, co-author of the study and a bariatric surgeon at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA said: "This is the first study to analyse the long-term impact of metabolic and bariatric surgery on the progression of prediabetes, and the results are both significant and durable. It demonstrates that metabolic surgery is as much a treatment as it is a prevention for diabetes."

Prediabetes is a serious condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. The CDC estimates that around 98 million Americans—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes, and 38.4 million have diabetes.

Metabolic and bariatric surgery, including gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy, has been shown to be the most effective and long-lasting treatment for severe obesity. These procedures not only result in significant and sustained weight loss but also improve or resolve conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.