Weight loss surgery may help moderately obese, too

It reduces the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, studies found, but surgical risks exist

By Serena Gordon

HealthDay Reporter

Tuesday, June 4 (new HealthDay) - for the extremely obese, outweigh the benefits of weight loss surgery generally outweigh the risks of the procedure. Now, new research suggests that the same could be true for obese people less so.

For those who are slightly or moderately obese, weight loss surgery may improve the type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol more effectively than the management of conventional diabetes and changes in lifestyle, new research suggests.

"We are seeing a trend in these studies. There is a definite impact on diabetes after surgery. Some people respond so well, but most do, "said Dr. Bruce Wolfe, Professor of surgery and Co-Director of Bariatric Surgery at the University of health sciences & Oregon, Portland.

But, he added, "we need more long-term studies to determine which is the right candidate for surgery, and we needs a certain number of years of follow-up and a population large enough study to see if the improvements of diabetes after surgery prevent heart disease, blindness and kidney disease linked to type 2 diabetes. ''

The results of two new studies, but also an accompanying editorial written by Wolfe and his colleagues are in the issue of June 5 by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Mass index body (BMI) is a measure calculated with the size and weight that is used to estimate the amount of body fat, as someone has. A BMI of 18 to 24.9 is considered normal weight while 25 to 29.9 is overweight, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mild to moderate obesity is between 30 and 40 39.9 and above is obese morbid (or extremely).

Normally, weight loss surgeries are done on people who have a BMI of 40 or more. Surgery is also done on those who have a BMI of 35 or more if they have risk factors for heart disease such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or sleep apnea, according to Wolfe.

The first study was a review of previous research on people morbidly obese non-diabetic type 2. The authors searched the medical literature and among other related studies, are three clinical randomized controlled trials comparing surgery weight loss (also known as Bariatric Surgery) for the non-surgical treatments, such as the diabetes medications and lifestyle changes.

Surgeries for weight loss - including gastric bypass and gastric banding - were associated with a greater loss of weight than non-surgical treatments. Surgeries by as much as 32 to 53 books trained weight loss more weight loss and also to a greater improvement of the levels of sugar in the blood.

"I think that we have found promising results for lower BMI patients with diabetes. He had better results in terms of control of glucose [blood sugar] and weight loss over one or two years. We have a way to provide some sort of treatment success is exciting. But we do not yet know how sustainable are these changes. We need longer and larger studies,"said Dr. Melinda Maggard Gibbons, lead author of the study and associate professor with RAND Health in Santa Monica, California.