Weight-loss surgery yields long-term benefits for type 2 diabetes

American researchers find that bariatric surgery helped people with type 2 diabetes better control their blood glucose compared to other medical and lifestyle interventions.

Recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently concluded research exploring which interventions – medical, surgery or lifestyle – produced better long-term outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes.

Based on 262 participants between ages 18 and 65 who were classed as overweight or obese according to their BMI, over half were randomised to receive bariatric surgery. The remaining 96 received diabetes medications plus lifestyle interventions.

Key findings indicated that over half of the surgery group had an A1c measurement less than 7 percent. In contrast, only 27 percent of those in the medical/lifestyle group had similar A1c values.

Researchers also found that 18% of those in the surgery group no longer had signs or symptoms of diabetes by year seven, compared to 6% in the medical/lifestyle group. The surgery group also had an average weight loss of 20%, compared to 8% in the other group.

Dr. Jean Lawrence of NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases said: “These results show that people who are overweight or obese and have type 2 diabetes can make long-term improvements in their health and change the trajectory of their diabetes through surgery.”