According to the data released at the 92nd meeting of The Endocrine Society, Gastric bypass surgery may help in the improvement of type 2 diabetes better than a low-calorie diet (LCD).

The data released in the meeting came from the study of 14 obese patients with type 2 diabetes. According to the results, Roux-en Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) was associated with an improvement in insulin activity, beta-cell function and adiponectin levels compared with an LCD. It is more effective than LCD even if weight loss is equivalent with both approaches.

According to the investigators, the results confirmed the beneficial glucostatic effect of RYGB on the patients having type 2 diabetes. According to investigator Judith Korner, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, when it comes to short-term results, the study shows that weight loss and diet cannot give the same improvements in type 2 diabetes as gastric bypass surgery.

According to Korner, the improvement in glycemic control after RYGB can be the result of the changes that happens in food-associated gut hormone signals that occurs. Korner and her colleagues made a comparison between RYGB, the most common gastric bypass surgery in the United States, and low calorie diet for diabetic adults.

Based on the results, RYGB reduces the size of the stomach and redirect the digestive tract to evade the some part of the stomach and part of the intestine. After the gastric bypass procedure, most of the patients gained normal and improved blood glucose control. The results also show that some people will not need to take up diabetes medications because of RYGB.

According to Korner, patients with diabetes that are extremely hard to control needs to undergo gastric bypass surgery.