On the 26th March 2012, New York Times carried an article titled “Surgery For Diabetes May be Better Than Standard Treatment”.
It quoted 2 recent publications which reported that “weight-loss operations worked much better than the standard therapies for Type 2 Diabetes in obese and overweight people whose blood sugar was out of control”.
Both studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The Mind Your Body section of the Singapore Straits Times also made a mention of these findings on the 29th Mar 2012.
Whilst these results bring good news, the editorial which accompany these 2 studies did mention that the sample size of these 2 studies was quite small, and the follow-up period was short. Furthermore, the benefits of going through weight loss surgery must be balanced by the risks of the operation. Although the death rate of these weight loss operations in these 2 studies was less than 1%, patients have nonetheless died.
Amercian guidelines recommend that weight loss surgery be offered to individuals with a BMI of more than 40, or BMI of more than 35 with associated diabetes or another illness related to obesity. Having said this, there must be a holistic approach to weigth management. Surgery is not the be-all and end-all.
Visit the Nexus Surgical Weight Loss Centre if you wish to find out more about the management of obesity, in particular, if you are a suitable candidate for such an operation, the benefits to you, and the attendant risks.
