Weight loss surgery treats diabetics

According to a study, most obese diabetics can get rid of the disease through weight-loss surgery, where the process of wrapping a part of the stomach (gastric staple) allows more than 80% of patients to make the treatment with sugar medications a success.

The report, published in the Journal of Surgical Archives, is a review of previous studies led by Rick Meijer at the Institute of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Vergie in Amsterdam, which said that its discovery goes beyond what was possible with more traditional medicines to treat the disease.

Meijer and his colleagues collected data from nine studies on diabetic patients who performed gastric staples or gastric tapes in which the stomach was reduced, using an adjustable tape.

Eight of the studies included between 23 and 177 patients, with 82,000 people involved, and each patient study was followed for at least a year.

After undergoing gastric tape surgery, 83% of patients were able to stop taking diabetes drugs, some within days of the end of the surgery, and 62% of those who underwent gastric tape surgery were able to stop treatment.

"Surgery should be the first stage of treatment for obese diabetics," said John Gould, head of the Weight Loss Program at the University of Wisconsin.