Lost 55 kg and recovered from diabetes without medication

Losing weight can not only help you get rid of excess fat, but also may say goodbye to diabetes forever! A 38-year-old man surnamed Hong who lives in Changhua weighed over 100 kg when he was in junior high school. He was diagnosed with diabetes three years ago and needed to take medication regularly. However, he underwent gastric bypass surgery six months ago. Not only did his blood sugar and glycated glucagon return to normal, eliminating the need for medication, his weight also dropped from 144 kg to 89 kg, a difference of 55 kg. At the same time, his problems with diabetes and morbid obesity improved.

Type 2 diabetes is usually caused by excessive obesity. Doctors recommend that patients with morbid obesity can undergo weight loss surgery under the evaluation of professional doctors to improve the problems of obesity and diabetes at the same time.

Type 2 diabetes: Being overweight is the culprit

Among diabetic patients, 75% to 80% are caused by obesity, and most patients suffer from both morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes. Li Minxian, director of the bariatric surgery department of the China Medical University Hospital, said that this is because obesity hinders metabolism, causing a decrease in intestinal hormones such as GLP-1 and GIP, affecting insulin secretion, and thus leading to type 2 diabetes.

Weight loss surgery to get rid of fat and treat diabetes

Diabetes is usually treated with drugs to control blood sugar levels and insulin, but there is currently a potential side effect of taking higher and higher dosages. Not only do patients have to take blood sugar control drugs for their entire lives, their weight will also be "stable as a mountain" and difficult to improve! However, in recent years, the World Diabetes Association has included weight loss surgery in the list of new therapies, and clinical evidence has also confirmed that weight loss surgery can effectively lower blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin, solving two diseases at once.

Dr. Li Minxian said that patients with both morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes can choose gastric reduction surgery in the early stage to reduce the concentration of ghrelin, reduce hunger, and avoid the side effects of vitamin deficiency after surgery; but for those with severe obesity, gastric bypass surgery is recommended, which can not only reduce appetite, but also prevent food from entering the duodenum, making it impossible for the duodenal hormones that cause type 2 diabetes to take effect. At the same time, it can allow food to quickly enter the jejunum below, stimulate the secretion of GLP-1 and GIP, promote the increase in insulin concentration, and thus improve diabetes. However, patients need to take nutritional supplements after undergoing gastric bypass surgery.

Bariatric surgery is suitable for morbidly obese people

According to current health insurance regulations, morbidly obese patients who can undergo weight loss surgery must have a BMI of 40 or above, or a BMI of 35 or above and concurrent chronic diseases. However, doctors believe that if weight loss surgery is performed within 10 to 15 years of the onset of diabetes, more pancreatic function can be retained and the chances of curing diabetes are higher. Therefore, it is recommended that patients with a BMI greater than 30 and concurrent diabetes can undergo weight loss surgery early under the evaluation of a doctor.

Since obesity is closely related to diabetes and can cause various chronic diseases in the long term, Dr. Li Minxian reminds the public to manage their health on a daily basis, maintain a regular lifestyle, eat a balanced diet, avoid overeating, and exercise moderately to burn excess calories and fat. The most important thing is to control the ideal weight.