Weight-loss surgery bests lifestyle changes in diabetics

As per a new study, weight-loss surgery edges out lifestyle changes for type 2 diabetes.

Lead researcher Anita Courcoulas of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said that one of the most important things to take away is that there is durability of remission over time, Reuters reported.

The researchers wrote that past studies have found that weight loss surgeries sometimes result in improvement for people with type 2 diabetes, but it remains to be seen if the surgeries are better at treating the condition than lifestyle interventions.

The researchers studied 61 people, ages 25 to 55, with type 2 diabetes. About half had class 1 obesity and the rest were heavier.

After three years, 40 percent in the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass group, 29 percent in the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding group and no one in the lifestyle intervention group had at least a partial remission of their type 2 diabetes.

Three people in the RYGB group and one person in the LAGB group had their diabetes disappear entirely, which did not occur for anyone in the lifestyle group.

Researchers also found that blood sugar control improved more in the surgery groups, compared to the lifestyle intervention group. The surgery groups were also more likely to no longer need medication for their diabetes.

While the new results are a from a randomized study, which is considered the gold standard of medical research, Courcoulas said they will need to follow more patients at several medical centers over a longer period of time to draw definite conclusions.

The study appears in JAMA Surgery.