Gastric bypass controls type 2 diabetes

• April 20, 2024

Gastric bypass surgery or gastric bypass modifies the production of hormones and amino acids during digestion, which could explain how the surgery, used to lose weight, eliminates the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

The findings could help in the development of new treatments for type 2 diabetes, a disease that if left untreated could lead to heart and kidney disease, blindness and amputations, the researchers said.

In the gastric bypass, the stomach is divided into two sections. The food goes to the smaller section, so that people feel satisfied after eating a smaller amount of food.

For the study, the cases of four women who underwent gastric bypass surgery were analyzed. During the operation, a catheter was inserted into the larger section of the stomach.

After the surgery, the researchers put food through the catheter in this part of the stomach and analyzed the hormones that occurred.

When comparing the findings with the hormonal activity generated in the smaller section of the stomach when eating food, they realized that the insulin levels and other hormones of the patients were much higher in this one.

The level of amino acids was also higher in the smaller part of the stomach and that of free fatty acids was lower, according to the study published in the journal Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism .

The increased level of hormones, especially that of insulin, during digestion in the small part of the stomach allowed patients to better control blood sugar levels, the researchers said.

Despite the findings of the study that indicated that gastric bypass surgery could cause hormonal changes leading to a reduction in the symptoms of diabetes, it did not prove that there was necessarily a causal relationship.

The findings "provide insights into how gastric bypass surgery works," said the study's lead author, Nils Wierup, an associate professor of gastric bypass surgery. Diabetes Center of the University of Lund in Sweden .

"Surgery is currently the most effective weapon available to combat morbid obesity and, as a side effect, it has been shown to relieve the symptoms of type 2 diabetes," the specialist concluded.
 

Video Medicine: How can bariatric surgery treat diabetes? (April 2024).