“Patients with type two diabetes who underwent bariatric surgery had durable and significantly greater glycemic control than those managed with medical therapy alone,” wrote Peggy Peck, Editor-in-Chief of MedPage Today, in response to the results of a 3-year study by a medical research organization called STAMPEDE.
It sounds like something good came out of this study…but what does it all mean?
Let’s break it down.
Studies suggest that both genetics and being overweight or obese can lead to type two diabetes. Basically, diabetes is a condition in which there is too much sugar, also known as glucose, in the blood stream. There just isn’t enough insulin—the important stuff in your body that helps turn sugar into energy or saves it for later—to process it all. The body then has to get energy from its tissues, muscles, and organs.
As you can imagine, the primary goal for diabetics is to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood stream. This is what Peggy Peck means when she says “glycemic control.”
Bariatric surgery is weight-loss surgery available only to those who are very overweight or obese. There are many types of bariatric surgery, including sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, laparoscopic adjustable band, duodenal switch, gastric balloon. By the way, our expert team of surgeons offers all of these options!
So, Peggy Peck is simply saying that the patients who couldn’t regulate the amount of sugar in their blood stream and underwent bariatric surgery were better able to control their sugar levels in comparison to the patients who didn’t have weight-loss surgery.
That’s a life-altering benefit to say the least.
Since 2011, the American Diabetes Association and the International Diabetes Federation have recommended that bariatric surgery should be considered for adults who have type 2 diabetes and whose BMI is greater than 35.
Other ways to help maintain a healthy glucose level:
Check out the procedures we offer today! We’d love to discuss all of your options with you.