Weight-Loss Surgery Can Cure Diabetes For The Obese

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Diabetes
Article Date: 25 Feb 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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An estimated three in every four obese people suffering from diabetes can be cured of the disease with bariatric surgery, according to a groundbreaking new study reported in the current edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Experts say this finding opens the door to changes in the treatment of diabetes that are as profound as the discovery of insulin. "It's truly exciting to see a medical study document what we have seen in our practice - patients with Type 2 diabetes can lose weight safely and reduce or eliminate their need for diabetic medications including insulin," said Richard Collier MD, who along with Drs Matthew St. Laurent and Ata Ahmad, performs gastric band surgery at JourneyLite of Houston.

According to JAMA, researchers have found that 73 percent of patients, who underwent a stomach reducing surgical procedure, were cured of Type 2 diabetes when compared to only 13 percent of diabetics that followed other forms of conventional therapy - dieting, weight loss and medication - went into remission. Diabetes is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. The death toll from diabetes has grown by nearly 50 percent in the past 20 years.

Obesity is a growing national epidemic. From 1976 to 2004, the percent of adults (age 20 to 74 years in the United States who were obese) more than doubled from 15 to 32.9 percent. Nearly 20 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes.

How Gastric Bands Work

The band used in this bariatric study is surgically placed around the top of the stomach. Part of the stomach is stitched over it to hold the device in place, while the access port is secured closer to the skin. Once the band is in place, a saline solution can be injected into the access port. The fluid travels along the silicone tubing, and then fills the circular inflation membrane, making the band tighter. This constricts the stomach opening, and reduces the amount of space inside, giving the patient an earlier feeling of fullness, limiting food consumption. Adding or removing saline through the access port, according to the patient's needs, can adjust the band's tightness. This system allows for long-term, non-surgical adjustability.

About JourneyLite

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, under the parent company of Bariatric Partners, Inc., JourneyLite is a leading provider in the United States of surgical treatment for obesity through laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB). The goal of JourneyLite is to provide the highest quality patient surgical experience along with the most comprehensive patient aftercare programs available in the marketplace today. JourneyLite patients may receive LAGB support services at any facility across the country, regardless of the site of surgery. Information about JourneyLite may be found online at http://www.journeylite.com.

About Bariatric Partners, Inc.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bariatric Partners, Inc. is a national for-profit healthcare company that specializes in partnering with leading bariatric surgeons across the country to provide minimally invasive surgical treatment for the disease of obesity. Bariatric Partners, Inc., along with its physician partners, owns and operates specialty ambulatory surgical centers - branded under the name JourneyLite - in key markets across the United States. All JourneyLite facilities focus primarily on the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) surgical procedure for the treatment of obesity.

Bariatric Partners, Inc.