People who have the surgery, apparently more motivated to keep weight off
Patients who have bariatric surgery--stomach stapling--reduce their risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 87%--but it's not the operation that makes the difference.
There are proven links between diabetes and being overweight, but now researchers say there's also a link between diabetes prevention, and bariatric (stomach-stapling) surgery.
Dr. Rich O'Neill, medical researcher and psychologist at SUNY Upstate University, says it's not the surgery that drastically reduces odds of becoming diabetic: it's the post-op commitment of patients to keep weight down, and to eat in a more healthy way. The findings are in a Swedish study of obese people done over 15 years, that found people who'd had the surgery were able to maintain major weigh loss (44 lb average), and that the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes was 87% lower.
O'Neill points out there are complications to the surgery, and about a third of patients cannot stick with the diet program that follows, and do gain their weight back. Other studies show that medication and lifestyle canges can also significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes, and that a doctor should be consulted wihen considering options..
