Diabetes and Weight Loss Surgery

This week’s Panorama looked into a health epidemic that is threatening to overwhelm the NHS, diabetes.

Research states that a record four million people are living with type 2 diabetes and that more than 500,000 do not know they have it. Type 2 diabetes is often perceived as being harmless but the preventable condition is in fact a ‘hidden killer;’ that can lead to heart failure, blindness, kidney disease and amputations.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin to function properly, or the body’s cells do not react to insulin. This means glucoses stay in the blood and are not used as fuel for energy.

The exact causes of diabetes are still not fully understood but what we do know is that there are factors that up the risk of developing different types of diabetes mellitus. For type 2 diabetes this includes being overweight or obese, having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater.

If you are overweight or obese, you are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly if you have excess weight around your tummy. Obesity is believed to account for 80-85% of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In fact recent research suggests that obese people are up to 80 times more likely to develop the condition than those with a BMI of less than 22.

Those at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes are being urged to change their lifestyles.

How can Weight Loss Surgery Help?

If you are obese and you have already tried to improve your diet and exercise levels with no success, then weight loss surgery could be for you. Weight loss surgery is not an easy option to lose weight but a tool that can help you change your life.

Weight loss is one of the many benefits of surgery, which also offers a better life expectancy and improved health. The steady weight loss experienced after surgery can improve a number of comorbidities.

Weight loss surgery can be used as a tool to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or as a way to manage the condition. Recent research showed that in some cases after weight loss surgery patients found that they no longer needed to take their medication for the control of their type 2 diabetes.

There isn’t a one fits all solution but there is clear medical evidence to support that loosing weight can prevent or control this ‘hidden killer’. If you feel that weight loss surgery is the right option for you book a free consultation with our expert bariatric surgeons today.

Find out more about the types of weight loss surgery procedure we offer today.