More than 34 million people have diabetes, with 90-95% of cases being of the type 2 variety. With type 2 diabetes, your cells don’t respond normally to insulin, so you experience high levels of blood sugar. That can put you at risk of many systemic problems, including nerve damage, eye problems, heart disease, and kidney disease.
Weight challenges contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, weight loss surgery can help people with type 2 diabetes get their blood sugar levels back to normal and reduce the need for medication.
Research has proven the positive effects of weight loss surgery in treating type 2 diabetes, but is it right for you? At Eastside Bariatric & General Surgery, located in Snellville, Georgia, experienced surgeon Aliu O. Sanni, MD, FACS, evaluates your medical history, current health, and present weight to determine if you’re a good candidate for weight-loss surgery.
Here’s the possible impact weight loss surgery can have on your diabetes and overall health.
Not everyone is a candidate for weight loss surgery. To qualify, you should have a BMI (body mass index) of 30 and have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Other health problems associated with your weight, like heart disease or high blood pressure, may also qualify you for surgery.
You’re also a better candidate if you’ve tried to lose weight in the past and been unsuccessful in dropping pounds or in keeping them off. Surgery isn’t usually the first course of weight loss treatment.
Weight loss surgery can help you lose the pounds to reduce diabetes symptoms, but it isn’t a magical solution. It requires a life-long commitment to positive dietary and exercise changes.
Before recommending surgery, we’ll carefully consider if you can make these changes for the long-term and are serious about transforming your health.
At Eastside Bariatric & General Surgery, Dr. Sanni offers two types of weight-loss surgery:
Gastric bypass surgery changes the route by which food travels through your digestive tract. During the procedure, Dr. Sanni divides your stomach into two compartments and makes it so food goes to the smallest portion. You’ll feel full faster and absorb fewer calories.
Gastric sleeve procedures involve removing a large part of your stomach so it fits less food. You feel full faster and your production of ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite, decreases.
Weight-loss surgery restores your body’s ability to manage its glucose (sugar) levels. That is due to the reduced calorie intake that is a natural result of surgery. Surgery also promotes enhanced insulin sensitivity and improved insulin production.
After gastric bypass, your body’s small intestine starts to produce something called GLUT-1, a molecule that helps you use glucose more efficiently. The molecule is usually only present in infants, not adults. But, because your small intestine must work harder when you’ve had gastric bypass, it starts to produce GLUT-1 again.
If you’re ready to learn more about weight-loss surgery and how it can help your health, call Eastside Bariatric & General Surgery today or use this website to make an appointment.
