Surgery for Diabetes

Living with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) can feel overwhelming because it requires frequent blood sugar checks, medication, and lifestyle changes—all of which can take a toll on your mental health.

Often rooted in obesity, T2DM poses immediate health risks that may lead to serious health complications that can significantly impact your quality of life. Sadly, individuals with diabetes face an increased risk of premature death—up to 80% higher—and may experience a reduction in life expectancy by 12 to 14 years.

Understanding Type 2 Diabetes

T2DM is a progressive condition that worsens over time, making effective management crucial. Fortunately, metabolic and bariatric surgery has emerged as a powerful tool for those suffering with Type 2 diabetes and its symptoms. In many cases, surgery can stop Type 2 diabetes in a matter of days.

As Type 2 diabetes progresses, the body’s ability to produce insulin diminishes, leading to increased insulin resistance. This forces many people to rely on medications or insulin injections to maintain safe blood sugar levels.

If the patient can lose excess weight and fat around the abdominal area, it will help minimize or even eliminate Type 2 diabetes. However, many may find this difficult, particularly if the fat tissue becomes stubborn and resistant to diet and exercise.

In these cases, metabolic and bariatric surgery is a scientifically proven and effective solution.

Surgical Treatment Options

Advanced laparoscopic metabolic surgery procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass can improve your metabolism and remove certain powerful hormones, effectively eliminating T2DM.

At a very basic level, the surgical procedure helps you achieve rapid and significant weight loss, reducing the urge for caloric intake, and shifting the focus towards healthier foods.

At a more complex level, metabolic procedures such as gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy will alter the way your body processes food and will lead to various unique benefits that directly and indirectly address conditions such as Type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Wiljon Beltre, a board-certified and fellowship-trained bariatric surgeon, offers personalized weight loss procedures to address T2DM and metabolic syndrome and transform your life. Serving Orlando, Tampa, Maitland, Central Florida, and nearby areas, Dr. Beltre is dedicated to helping you achieve your best possible health.

Outcomes and Improvement Rates

Numerous studies, along with feedback from bariatric surgeons and diabetic patients, consistently highlight the transformative effects of bariatric procedures on managing Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In an extensive study of bariatric surgical procedures involving more than 135,000 patients, remarkable improvements were observed in nearly 90% of patients. These included:

• Reduced blood sugar levels
• Reduction in the type and dosage of medication needed
• Improvement in diabetes related health problems

Bariatric surgery led to remission of T2DM in 78% of patients by achieving the following outcomes:

• Lowering their blood sugar normal levels
• Eliminating the need for medications
• General health improvements

What’s encouraging is that these benefits can last for years, offering patients long-term health and wellness.

Additional Benefits of Bariatric Surgery

• Metabolism Increase

The surgery will lead to a favorable hormonal change and accelerate metabolism. This will enable the body to burn calories more efficiently, allowing lifestyle changes to deliver more impact.

• Appetite Control

Appetite control is governed by intestinal hormones such as Ghrelin. With a metabolic procedure, it is possible to reduce hunger significantly by preventing the body from producing these hormones. As a result, the patient will tend to eat less naturally, without having to go on a forced dieting program.

• Insulin Production

The metabolic changes induced by these surgical procedures will allow the body to produce insulin naturally. The body will once again begin to process glucose correctly, which will bring the blood sugar within normal levels in a normal way. This will effectively reverse the condition of type 2 diabetes, and the results can be noticed within days of the surgery.

Evaluating Risks and Benefits

Each year millions of people around the world die from complications related to Type 2 diabetes.

However, advancements in bariatric surgery offer hope for improving the quality of life and health for many patients. Although bariatric procedures do involve a certain degree of risk—like any surgery—the long-term risks of untreated diabetes will often outweigh the risks of surgery.

However, it is critical to evaluate these risks on an individual basis and consider the severity of diabetes, related health issues, and the patient’s general health condition before performing the surgery.

Important Note: If the weight is regained, diabetes and other conditions could return.

IDF Position Statement on Bariatric Surgery

In 2011, the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) released a position statement calling for healthcare providers to consider bariatric surgery as an early intervention for Type 2 diabetes. Some of the salient points recognized in the document include:

• In addition to behavioral and medical treatments, bariatric surgeries constitute a powerful option to ameliorate diabetes in patients affected by severe obesity.
• Bariatric surgery is an appropriate treatment for people with T2DM and obesity not achieving recommended treatment targets with medical therapies.
• Surgery should be an accepted option in people who have T2DM and a BMI of 35 or more.
• The risk for complications and death with bariatric surgery is low and similar to that of well-accepted procedures such as gallbladder surgery.

Get Started With Dr. Wiljon Beltre

Accomplished bariatric surgeon Dr. Beltre receives patients from Orlando, Tampa, Maitland, Central Florida, and nearby areas for weight loss surgeries.

To find out more about the procedures & treatments performed by Orlando Bariatric Surgeon, Dr. Wiljon Beltre, at The Center for Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Call 407-329-9210 or schedule a consultation.