How does a weight loss surgery help type 2 diabetes?

Obesity is the major reason for type 2 diabetes. This further leads to a number of health problems such as stroke, kidney failure, blindness, cardiovascular disease, amputations, and even risk from certain forms of cancer.

When it comes to talking about treatment for type 2 diabetes, the major therapy comprises of lifestyle interventions. This includes weight loss, healthy diet, and exercise. Other than this, there is also weight loss surgery that has proved beneficial to people. It can actually make a big difference to people suffering from Type 2 diabetes. After surgery, weight and BMI decrease, fasting plasma glucose and HbA_1c concentrations return to normal levels or markedly improves in most patients. There is a significant reduction in the use of oral antidiabetic agents and insulin following surgical treatment. Patients with the shortest duration (<5 years), the mildest form of type 2 diabetes (diet controlled), and the greatest weight loss after surgery were most likely to achieve complete resolution of type 2 diabetes.

Types of  Weight Loss Surgery

Before you decide to go under the knife you should know there are types of weight loss surgery. Some people prefer to have a surgery that will help in losing weight by shrinking the stomach size, while some just want to change the way the calories, nutrients, and vitamins are absorbed.

1. Gastric Bypass – It is also called as a Rox-en-Y gastric bypass in which a professional surgeon creates a small and vertically oriented gastric pouch of <30 ccs. The upper pouch is completely divided from the gastric remnant and is anastomosed to the small intestine. After this procedure ingested food bypasses most of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. This helps you get full at a faster rate but it also helps in absorbing fewer nutrients and calories.
2. Adjustable gastric band – Around the top of the stomach, the surgeon puts an inflatable band. This band further forms into a small pouch, the place where the food goes. It is a tiny pouch and fills quickly, thus making you feel full quickly. One of the greatest advantages of this is that the doctor does not have to cut the stomach or move the intestine as in other surgeries.
3. Gastric sleeve – This type is also called as sleeve gastrectomy in which the surgeon will remove a large part of your abdomen. This surgery is beneficial and helps in lowering ghrelin which is a major hormone that plays the part of making you feel hungry. Around 60% of people have proved this surgery is the best as it shows no signs of diabetes.
4. Electric Implant device – In this type, an electrical device is implanted beneath the abdomen’s skin. This electrical device helps in controlling the signals in the vagus nerves, which decreases the feeling of hunger. The greatest advantages of this are that the implanting this device is a minor procedure and the device can be controlled remotely. The doctor can remove this device easily by a minor procedure once you have reached the desired weight.
5. Biliopancreatic diversion: In this, the surgeon removes a large part of the abdomen and also changes the way food moves through the intestine. This is a complicated surgery and is not performed commonly.

After surgery, you must keep the weight off by sticking to your diet and exercise plan. Diet planning with the guidance of a nutritionist to ensure that you get enough of all the vitamins and minerals you need and have smaller meals, will help in maintaining the weight loss and keep the Type 2 Diabetes under control.