Studies have long suggested a strong causal link between obesity and type 2 diabetes. Now some doctors are reversing that relationship to control diabetes by using weight reduction surgery. It’s like putting the chicken back into the egg by sterilizing the chicken—and it is working.
Some studies have shown that gastric banding and stomach stapling—both intended to make the stomach smaller, giving the sensation of a “full stomach” with much less food, leading to a reduction in caloric intake—has restored blood sugar levels to normal in obese Type 2 diabetics. These procedures are safe, approved weight reduction methods typically prescribed only when the patient is classified as obese according to federal health guidelines.
While these procedures have proven effective when used with obese patients, some doctors now believe that they will prove an effective and economical diabetes treatment for patients classed merely as overweight. The cost-benefit analysis strongly favors the expensive but permanent weight-reduction surgery over the lifetime costs of conventional diabetes management methods (drugs, insulin, constant testing). Doctors are now recruiting for studies to evaluate the viability of these procedures as a diabetes management tools.