Weight Loss Surgery Can Prevent Diabetes, Research Shows

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Earlier this year we posted an article about the 2 year findings of the on-going APEX (Lap-Band AP Experience) study, which had encouraging results for obese patients with type 2 diabetes.  Just 2 years after Lap-Band surgery, as much as 95 percent of the patients in the study had achieved improvement or remission of diabetes.  Several other recent studies have also highlighted the effectiveness of bariatric surgery for patients with diabetes. Now, new research shows that weight loss surgery is capable of not only improving diabetes, but can also prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in obese patients.

Among the 1,658 volunteers in the study who received surgery, the risk of developing diabetes was about one in 150 per year. The 1,771 people in the control group who received standard care had a risk four times higher of about one in 35 per year.  Ten years after surgery, 7 percent of the surgery patients had developed diabetes, compared to 28 percent of the control group. By 15 years, just 13 percent of the surgery group had diabetes, while as much as 38 percent of the control group had developed diabetes.

In addition to improvement in diabetes, weight loss surgery patients experience improvement in many obesity-related conditions such as osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. You can learn more the types of surgical procedures we offer at Oregon Weight Loss Surgery, as well as the benefits of surgery, by registering to attend a free informational seminar. You can also call us at 503-227-5050 to schedule a consultation with our highly-experienced surgeon, Dr. Emma Patterson.

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