Thousands could benefit from diabetes-beating weight-loss surgery

RESEARCH has found that weight-loss surgery reduces obese ­patients’ risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

HUNDREDS of thousands more people could benefit from weight-loss surgery, according to ­research which found that going under the knife reduced obese ­patients’ risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Weight-loss surgery, known as bariatric surgery, cuts the risk of developing the disease by about 80 per cent, researchers found. However, using surgery for weight loss remains controversial, with critics arguing that it is a drastic solution to a problem that could be solved by diet and exercise.

The study, published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, found that about six in every 1000 weight-loss surgery patients would develop diabetes each year, compared with 30 per 1000 in obese people who did not have the operation.

Martin Gulliford, from King’s College London, who led the ­research, said: “Our results suggest that bariatric surgery may be a highly effective method of preventing the onset of new diabetes in men and women with severe obesity.

“We need to understand how weight-loss surgery can be used, together with interventions to increase physical activity and promote healthy eating, as part of an overall diabetes prevention ­strategy.”

His team compared 2167 obese adults without diabetes who had surgery for weight loss with a control group of 2167 who did not have surgery, following them for several years. While 38 of the group who had surgery had diabetes diagnosed, 177 of the control group developed the disease.

Simon O’Neill, from Diabetes UK, said: “It must be remembered that surgery carries risks and so bariatric surgery should only be considered if serious attempts to lose weight have been unsuccessful. But looking at the bigger picture, as a society we also need to focus more on stopping people becoming overweight.”

The Times