Weight loss surgery is cutting the risk of obese people developing diabetes by as much as 80%, British researchers reveal today.
A study of more than 2,100 obese adults who underwent the procedures found that just 38 developed type 2 diabetes over a period of three to seven years – a rate of less than 2%.
Use of the procedures, such as stomach stapling and gastric banding, have been controversial because of their cost compared with persuading people with obesity to adjust their diet.
The researchers at King’s College, London, say the findings show that surgery may be "highly effective" at preventing diabetes.
They have reported their findings in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
They compared the patients undergoing surgery with a similar group of obese adults and found that 177 of these developed diabetes – a rate of more than 8%.
Researcher Professor Martin Gulliford said today: "Our results suggest that bariatric surgery may be a highly effective method of preventing the onset of new diabetes in men and women with severe obesity.
"We need to understand how weight loss surgery can be used, together with interventions to increase physical activity and promote healthy eating, as part of an overall diabetes prevention strategy."
The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 3 November 2014 [abstract]
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