Weight loss surgery may be an effective tool for virtually curing the most common form of diabetes, according to a recent editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The recommendation comes as no surprise to Albert Wetter, M.D., who has been performing weight-loss (bariatric) surgery at Mills-Peninsula for years and has witnessed many cases of post-surgical diabetes remission.

“Traditionally, diabetes has been treated through medication or insulin,” he said. “Diabetes wasn’t viewed as a surgical disease. Here we have a potential solution to the issue with a relatively minor surgery.”

Denise McGrath Wilder, a 33-year-old project manager and hobby cheerleader, had dangerously high blood sugar levels – 400 to 500 – before her gastric bypass surgery in January.

Just three weeks after the procedure she was able to go off her diabetes medications when her blood sugar returned to normal range, 80 to 90, even though she had only lost about 30 pounds.
“I’ve been on medications since I was 22 and had to take insulin when I was pregnant,” she said.

Her surgeon, Barry Sanchez, M.D., performed Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, which reduces the size of the stomach and redirects food to bypass a part of the digestive system. Researchers found people who have this procedure often reverse their diabetes almost immediately – before they’ve lost any significant weight.

But the less invasive lap-band surgery, in which an adjustable silicone band is placed around the top part of the stomach, also appears to be effective, Dr. Wetter said.

He says researchers still don’t know why this occurs, and they are continuing to look into this issue as well as the long-term consequences of bariatric surgery. However, the research so far indicates obese people with diabetes may benefit from having a discussion with their doctor about whether bariatric surgery is a good option.

To learn more about bariatric surgery, www.mills-peninsula.org/obesity.