A new way of looking at diabetes
Researchers have seen that weight-loss surgery appears to cure type 2 diabetes, which they have attributed to the huge drop in pounds. After all, being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes, and losing weight can effectively take care of the problem.
An article that appeared in a supplement to last month’s issue of Diabetes Care argues that the bowel is the site of mechanisms that lead to diabetes.
The study’s author, Dr. Francesco Rubino of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, presents evidence on the mechanisms of diabetes control after surgery.
“Clinical studies have shown that procedures that simply restrict the stomach’s size (i.e., gastric banding) improve diabetes only by inducing massive weight loss. By studying diabetes in animals, Dr. Rubino was the first to provide scientific evidence that gastrointestinal bypass operations involving rerouting the gastrointestinal tract (i.e., gastric bypass) can cause diabetes remission independently of any weight loss, and even in subjects that are not obese,” according to a press release.
Rubino’s previously has shown that the main way gastrointestinal bypass controls diabetes is by skirting the upper small intestine — the duodenum and jejunum.
“It has become increasingly evident that the gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in energy regulation, and that many gut hormones are involved in the regulation of sugar metabolism,” according to the release.
Rubino’s findings suggest bypassing the upper intestine may work by reversing abnormalities of blood glucose regulation.
He guesses the upper intestine of diabetic patients may be the site where an “abnormal signal” is produced that causes or predisposes one to diabetes.
Gastrointestinal surgery offers the possibility of complete disease remission. This is a major shift in the way we consider treatment goals for diabetes. It is unprecedented in the history of the disease,” he said.
What do you think of using surgery to treat diabetes? Have you had an experience with it? Leave me a comment at http://blog.newsok.com/health.
Jeff Raymond, Medical Writer
Thank you for joining our conversation on NewsOK Health Blog. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.
Comments
Its a nice post about colon treatment because i m collection information about colon cleanse. so i need this info.
thanks for such an important post
This is an interesting article, especially the part about the gastrointestinal tract playing a role in energy regulation…I never knew they were related. I have Celiac Disease, and my family is always telling me I need to cut back in my sugar intake so I do not develop Diabetes (close family has diabetes as well). While I refuse to give up my excessive sugar habit, I exercise everyday at least 40 minutes cardio, pilates etc. I do believe exercise is a essential way to ward off diabetes.
- Jessika : Celiac Speaks – Symptoms, Recipes, Restaurants and Daily Life
Diabetes today is mostly caused by a lifestyle that has less exercise and too much sugar. Diabetes can be easily avoided by just doing simple exercises each day like jogging and avoiding sugars. If you already have diabetes, exercise is still the best way to manage it. Food supplements like Charantia and Chromium also helps.
I have type I diabetes and celiac disease. I have read that the two are related, and I know that celiac involves the small intestine. Is it possible that the surgery would help either of these or possibly both?