Gastric bypass and diabetes have recently been linked together as many people suffering from this condition have wondered if gastric bypass surgery for diabetes can be the answer to their problems. For people with Type 2 diabetes, increased physical activity and a modified diet should always be the first approach in overcoming the disease. Many individuals with this condition are overweight or obese and they find daily exercise to be extremely difficult to maintain due to achy joints and constant fatigue. In addition, numerous people struggle with their diet modifications.
With these adversities, losing weight and finding a healthy BMI, may prove difficult so doctors have advised patients who need to shed excess weight to undergo bypass surgery. This procedure involves reducing the size of the stomach and the length of the intestine in order to restrict calories, absorption, or both. This surgery is normally recommended for individuals with BMI’s of forty or more, unless there are serious health complications, such as diabetes, and then the BMI can be as low as thirty.
Not only does this operation help people to lose weight, but it can reverse diabetes. Researchers have learned that diabetes after gastric bypass is significantly altered. There are numerous complications of any procedure, but for gastric bypass for diabetes, the side effects can actually be beneficial to the patient.
Gastric Bypass Surgery and Diabetes- How Does Gastric Bypass Cure Diabetes?
Diabetics who have had gastric bypass surgery have experienced profound results. According to the American Diabetes Association, at least eighty percent of diabetes and gastric bypass patients have been able to stop injecting themselves with insulin, while ninety percent of the remaining patients were able to take a lesser dose.
Gastric bypass cures diabetes in several ways. One amazing outcome is the normalization of blood sugar levels. Researchers conclude that incretins, which are hormones secreted by the intestines, rapidly increase and direct the pancreas to make more insulin. As lack of insulin or inability to absorb insulin is the main issue for Type 2 diabetics, this surgery has had substantial effects on patients.
In addition, patients after surgery have reduced levels of circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, but they are not yet certain what roles these amino acids play in the gastric bypass cure for diabetes. Losing weight certainly assist people in maintaining an ideal weight and being able to exercise, but researchers have learned that weight loss alone is not the consequential factor in curing diabetes.
Gastric Bypass Surgery and Diabetes–Life After
After having gastric bypass surgery for diabetes, a patient’s life will be tremendously altered. First, their stomach will be a much smaller size, so they will drastically reduce their consumption of food. In addition, their doctor may place them on a restricted diet of liquids only for the first couple of weeks. The reduction in caloric intake should prove substantial weight loss in a short time.
In addition, the main reason for having the surgery, patients should be able to stop taking insulin or in worse case scenarios, be able to decrease their intake of insulin and all related medications. Individuals should expect to see their doctor on a routine basis for the next year to monitor any side effects of the surgery, and quite often afterwards to ensure that the diabetes does not return due to other non-related causes.
